Mission and Philosophy

          Saticoy Lemon Association is a non-profit Agricultural Cooperative founded in 1933. It is owned by its’ lemon grower-members. The marketing of the member’s fruit is handled through our affiliation with Sunkist Growers, Inc. Our goal is to provide a year-round supply of lemons for distribution both domestically and abroad. We are dedicated to providing the finest quality lemons and best customer service in the citrus industry. Our long-term accomplishments have been built by striving to guarantee the success of our grower-members through knowing and understanding our customers, a strong commitment to our employees and utilizing cutting-edge technology.

 History

           Saticoy Lemon has a rich history beginning with the original grower-owners in 1933. J. H. Bays, James D. Culbertson, Victor E. Cummings, E. C. Kimball, John E. B. Merriman, Albert J. Thille as President, and C. M. Warren met on February 3, 1933 to form an organization proficient in delivering their lemons to market. On July 25, 1934, Mr. Ben Ernsberger was selected as the first packinghouse manager. The first two Brand Names selected were "Saticoy" and "Murrieta."

           The first year, the Association was comprised of 18 growers, 362 acres of lemons, and a crop of 185,000 cartons. After sustained success in developing a loyal customer base and excelling in it's ability to serve it's growers, expansion over the years came from the recruitment of individual growers as well as through mergers with other Ventura County lemon companies.  The Association merged with Fillmore Lemon Association in 1962, Briggs Lemon in 1977, and Seaboard Lemon in  1985. In October of 1986 the Saticoy Fruit Exchange (SAFE) was formed to represent Saticoy Lemon in Sunkist.

           Today, Saticoy Lemon has grown to become the largest lemon cooperative in the world. There are now more than 260 growers representing 12,000 plus acres of lemons from each of the major growing areas of California. The acreage produces 11 million cartons of  lemons a year marketed through Sunkist. The lemons are processed through four plants located in Ventura County, California. Also, the Association has packing and shipping capability in the San Joaquin Valley. The Association is therefore able to meet high demand with quality service. In addition, we are able to provide any value-added products to assist our customers in their marketing efforts. The grower-members and management team at Saticoy Lemon are dedicated to the principles that have provided for unprecedented growth over our 71-year history.