Full of Vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene, grapefruits have become a popular food among the health-conscious and even the average consumer, thanks to readily available products like grapefruit juice and hip alcoholic drinks like the Sea Breeze. Consider adding this product to your store, whether in the form of fresh grapefruits, grapefruit juice or other grapefruit products. If you’re located in the right region, you can even grow your own grapefruit tree.

Before adding grapefruits to your product lineup, consider the following:

1. Do you have a market for fresh grapefruits from local or international suppliers?

2. Would your customers be interested in grapefruit juice?

3. Would you consider adding other grapefruit products to your store?

4. Do you live in an area where you could produce your own grapefruits?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out fresh products from grapefruit producers and distributors

There are a variety of national and international grapefruit growers that distribute to all areas of the United States. Be aware of the grapefruit harvesting season for each grower so you can know when to start marketing your grapefruit.

I recommend: Crockett Farms is a supplier of Texas Ruby Red grapefruit. Sunkist gets its many types of grapefruit from grapefruit growers in California and Arizona. It even offers pummelos, or Chinese grapefruit, which are very large in size and typically milder-tasting than traditional grapefruit.

Explore grapefruit juice manufacturers

While some American consumers enjoy pulling out their grapefruit spoon and a sprinkle of sugar and diving into a fresh grapefruit, others prefer to get the health benefits of this delectable fruit in a bottle.

I recommend: Ocean Spray has several grapefruit products, including 100 percent Juice White Grapefruit, 100 percent Juice Pink Grapefruit and 100 percent Juice Ruby Red Grapefruit, among others. Old Orchard offers a Healthy Balance Ruby Red Grapefruit juice in its product lineup.

Find distributors of other products that use grapefruits

Likely because of its natural health benefits, grapefruits have been showing up in all types of products, from therapeutic oils to grapefruit extract.

I recommend: The Ananda Apothecary sells a therapeutic grapefruit oil for cleansing, cooling and decongestive purposes. All Health Trends has grapefruit seed extract in both liquid and capsule form, which is supposed to fight all kinds of infections in the body.

Grow your own grapefruit trees

Grapefruit trees can be found in local nurseries, depending on your location, or online. Most trees favor hot summers like those in Arizona, California, Texas or Florida.

I recommend: Willis Orchards offers a ruby red grapefruit tree and even has on its webpage a map showing where the tree will thrive. Citrus Trees Online offers three types of grapefruit trees: Rio Red, Ruby Red and Henderson/Ray Ruby.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Order a small quantity of grapefruits or grapefruit products as your first shipment. You want to be sure customers are interested in the product before you invest too much money into it.