The Satsuma Company begins operations in Tifton. 

TIFTON – The Satsuma Company, a citrus packing and shipping plant focusing on crops grown in South Georgia and North Florida, has flicked the switch on its Tift County processing and distribution center.

“We discovered this burgeoning citrus industry in South Georgia and North Florida and we feel like it’s exciting and fun,” said Duke Lane, one of the company’s active seven partners. “We wanted to do something fun.”

The other active partners are Will McGehee, Kent Hoots, Kim Jones, Dennis Wright, Buck Paulk and Justin Jones, company officials said in a statement.

Speaking on behalf of the State of Georgia and the Tift County Development Authority, Brian Marlowe said the company is an important project for rural Georgia.  

“It emphasizes Gov. (Brian) Kemp’s commitment to communities in rural Georgia in support of their efforts to grow jobs and local investment,” he said. “The (agriculture) industry remains Georgia’s number one industry and the Satsuma Company will be a welcome addition to this sector.”

The 121,000-square-foot facility has a “tremendous” amount of cold storage and the company has invested approximately $7 million in the facility, Lane said. The Satsuma Company has 10 to 12 full-time employees and has about 70 seasonal workers, company representatives said. 

Lane said the company found, while there are a lot of small acre citrus growers in the area, there are not any local packing houses. The partners decided to fill the gap and start a more centralized location.

“We discovered this building and it had been available for some time and it was just a great fit for us,” he said. “We have absolutely used it a lot more than we thought we would this first year. It’s been great. We’ve been really fortunate. We’re excited about the Satsuma Company.”

Lane said he thinks the next five years will see an increase in growth in the industry and sees what the company is doing as just the beginning.

“There has been so much that has literally come from our back yard,” he said, adding that most of the product comes from within 50 miles, with some product coming in from 150 to 200 miles away.

“We feel like we’re in a really good position with the facility we have,” he said. “We’re trying to educate people and immerse them in Georgia citrus.”

Lane said the proximity to Interstate 75, and the centralized location and loading docks at the facility steered the decision to locate in Tifton.

“It’s centrally located,” he said. “It’s close to Atlanta, close to Jacksonville, close to the port. It’s right on 75. I feel like the building and the community has been a huge win for us. We’re glad to be here, that’s for sure.”