Citrus is in our DNA. In fact, the very idea for Evolution Fresh came when our founder, Jimmy Rosenberg, plucked a perfectly ripe orange from a tree in his backyard and squeezed it into the best juice he’d ever tasted. No processing. No heat pasteurization. Just seriously delicious juice.
That kicked off our pursuit of the most authentic juice experience we could fit into a bottle. These days, we’ve branched out from oranges and have brought the sweet and tangy taste of lemons, limes and grapefruits into our family of juices. Even some of our greenest green juices have a splash of citrus to brighten things up!
We’ve come a long way in the 30+ years since that backyard orange, but we still like to keep it in our own “backyard.” That’s why sourcing locally—from the regions near our juicery in southern California—is so important to us. We get 70% of our citrus from farms in California, Florida and Arizona, and the other 30% from our neighbors in Mexico. All of our delicious lemons come from our home state of California. Every. Single. One.
Since our lemons don’t have to travel long distances, we can harvest them when they’re ripe and juicy, instead of picking them early and letting them ripen for months in a packing house or in transit. Our growers like to say this makes them “Cali fresh.” Once they’re picked, our lemons hit the road right away, arriving at the juicery in as few as 4 hours. There, they’re immediately washed and cooled, preserving that fresh-picked taste. We squeeze all our citrus, including lemons, in 2–4 days on average, so we can stay as close as possible to the authentic taste Jimmy found in his backyard. And because of the diverse climates near us, we can squeeze tree-ripened, locally sourced lemons year round.
Local sourcing is good for more than just our juice; it helps support our local communities by strengthening their economies and creating jobs. One of our growers, Fillmore-Piru Citrus, is the largest employer in Piru, CA, a small town of just 2,000 people. Their farms and packing facility help support many working families. The logistical and financial challenges of sourcing locally mean it’s not a very popular way for juicers to get their produce, but we’ve made working with local growers a priority for years. It’s worth it to us, because when you help sustain the community you call home, not only do you get incredible-tasting fruits and veggies, you create a culture where everyone can thrive.
