IMG Citrus earns Fair Trade certification

October 27, 2026 — Food quality has long been measured by what reaches the shelf. Increasingly, how it gets there matters too.

How workers are treated, how farms operate, and how responsibly food is grown are becoming an important part of what retailers and consumers expect from the food supply.

IMG Citrus BB #:141178 is helping raise that standard as the first and only Florida citrus grower to earn Fair Trade USA certification.

Fair Trade Certified is a globally recognized certification program built around rigorous social, economic, and environmental standards. The program strengthens worker protections and voice, promotes safe working conditions and responsible environmental practices, and creates a direct financial benefit for workers.

For every pound of Fair Trade USA certified citrus grown and sold by IMG Citrus, two cents is contributed to a Community Development Fund. Workers themselves decide how those funds are used, based on the priorities they identify for their workforce and community.

“What makes Fair Trade meaningful is that workers are not just protected by the standard—they have a voice in it,” said Melanie Ressler, Co-CEO of IMG Citrus. “The premium creates a tangible benefit, and employees themselves determine where that premium can have the greatest impact.”

For IMG Citrus, the certification also strengthens a year-round citrus program built around long-term grower partnerships across multiple origins. Many of those partners are Fair Trade Certified, giving IMG Citrus firsthand experience working within the program and a shared framework for responsible agriculture across its supply network.

“We build partnerships with growers around shared values and a long-term commitment to each other,” Ressler said. “Fair Trade gives us another common language with many of our grower partners. We can learn from their experiences, share our own, and continue improving together.”

Today, IMG Citrus offers Fair Trade Certified programs across lemons, limes, mandarins, Orri tangerines, oranges and Florida grapefruit. For retail partners, that creates an opportunity to align responsible sourcing with reliable, year-round citrus programs across multiple commodities and origins.

Bringing certification to its own Florida farms extends that commitment into the heart of IMG Citrus’ growing operations while establishing a new benchmark for the Florida citrus industry.

IMG Citrus enters the Florida citrus season with a strong outlook, offering Fair Trade Certified Florida-grown grapefruit, Orri tangerines and juice oranges. The season is especially significant for Florida grapefruit, where expanding Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS) production is helping fuel the category’s comeback—and, for the first time, Fair Trade Certified Florida grapefruit will be available to the market.

About IMG Citrus:
IMG Citrus is a second-generation, family-owned and integrated Florida citrus grower, packer, and distributor dedicated to bringing the best of every season to retail partners across the Southeastern United States. Rooted in a long-term commitment to the future of citrus, the company is investing boldly in technology and infrastructure, regenerative farming practices, expanded import programs, and collaborative, win-win partnerships that strengthen the industry from grove to retailer. imgcitrus.com

Media Contact:
Caraline Jones
Head of Marketing
caraline.jones@imgcitrus.com
(352) 874-4008