The modern citrus industry got its first real start with the completion of the transcontinental railway in 1870, which made it easier to ship the fruit to markets in the eastern U.S.

Between 1880 and 1893, California's citrus acreage grew from 3,000 acres to more than 40,000. For years, citrus was one of the state's few exports.

The Southern California Fruit Exchange, now known as Sunkist Growers, Inc., was formed in 1893 when a group of 100 growers banded together to form a trade cooperative.

The brand name Sunkist was adopted in 1908. That year, 6 million oranges and 1 million lemons went to market wearing the Sunkist label.

By 1967, Sunkist was exporting 12.4 million cartons of citrus fruit to markets around the world.

In 1993, Sunkist celebrated its 100th birthday, with more than 6,000 member-growers shipping over 80 million cartons of fresh fruit worldwide.

Today, Sunkist is among the most recognized brand names in the world. The Sunkist brand appears on quality products in 45 countries.