Rosy Red Details
Rosy Red Valencia is a pigmented variety of valencia orange that is now available to be planted by commercial growers. This exciting new offering aligns with the higher market value and health benefits of similar pigmented fruit. The blush color of the flesh and juice of Rosy Red is lycopene based and was found to contain significant levels of beta-carotene. Sugar and acid testing on Rosy Red reveals a sugar-to-acid ratio similar to the Olinda Valencia, resulting in delicious fruit and juice. The flesh and rind of the fruit glow with a soft rosy blush, making Rosy Red beautiful both inside and out.
Leaves
At first glance, the Rosy Red tree may be one of the most unusual citrus trees you’ll ever see. The tree mutation not only affects the fruit, juice, and rind color, but Rosy Red also has an unusual foliage pattern. The mutation causes the leaves to be pointy and variegated, but this is the normal look of the Rosy Red tree. The initial flush of the leaves is pale in color and becomes more green with time. Initially, the foliage looks like it has been chomped by thrip. Despite its unusual leaf formation, the tree grows vigorously and produces lots of fruit. The commercial 10-acre block is planted with both Rich 16 and Carrizo rootstocks. The trees are growing similarly given the usual rootstock characteristics. Watch our video.
Harvest
July 15, 2023, was the date of the first commercial test harvest of the Rosy Red (10 acres were planted in 2019/2020 on Rich 16 and Carrizo rootstocks). That day, 33 tons of fruit were picked and packed for introduction to wholesale buyers. The harvested fruit looked very pretty in the box and was well-received by the wholesalers.
The 2025 harvest was successfully completed with harvests in the middle of May, end of May, and middle of June. Again, the volume increased and more than 200 tons were packed and the internal and external blush were more pronounced as the fruit continued to develop increased lycopene levels, which are responsible for the pigmentation of the fruit, rind and juice.
There will be a significant increase in the harvest volume for 2026. It is projected that fruit will be available for sale in the months of May, June, and July. This increase in volume will be due to increased size of the trees plus more acres coming into early production. Bee Sweet Citrus will be harvesting and packing the fruit in 2026.
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Fruit
The internal color of the fruit is a rosy red with the rosy tint occurring throughout the fruit, including the pith. The tiny fruits that develop from the flowers appear to be cream-colored (not dark green like typical Olinda Valencia fruitlets). After a short time, these pale-colored fruitlets change into a green color. The internal blush starts to develop early in the tiny fruits. The outer blush starts to develop in March and becomes more pronounced throughout spring/summer. Some regreening occurs in the later summer. The size and shape of the fruit are similar to a conventional valencia.
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Juice
Rosy Red juice (left) is a lovely blush pink, which is very different from conventional valencia orange juice (right). Testing has established that the color of the flesh and juice is based on lycopene. There is also beta-carotene present in the juice and the flesh. Unlike a blood orange, which has color based on the presence of anthocyanins, there are no anthocyanins in the juice or flesh of the Rosy Red. Sugar and acid tests reveal sugar-to-acid ratio similar to the Olinda Valencia, which results in a very delicious, colorful juice. The juice remains colored even after sitting and makes a fun ingredient for cocktails and recipes.
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Packing
The 2025 crop was packed by AC Foods Legacy Packing into fancy and choice grades at peak sizes 113s, 138s, 88s, and 72s. The 2026 crop will be packed by Bee Sweet Citrus, who will begin marketing the Rosy Red at citrus showcases starting in the fall of 2025. Stay tuned for the 2026 harvest when more acreage and volume will come into production.
