Abundance

Papa Citrus Finds Success in Oroville Soil…

When Chelsea and Leland Papa sold the Oroville home where they had spent five years living while doing a complete renovation, they were determined to move into a new place that was ready to welcome them without need for repair. “We knew that whatever we got we would still work on, but we wanted it to be turn-key,” says Chelsea. No more sleeping on an air mattress in the living room with construction all around.

While the house they fell in love with—a 1940s farmhouse—met the initial criteria of being ready for an immediate move-in (though they did an extensive renovation prior to unpacking boxes anyway), it came with an even bigger undertaking—a 20-acre orange grove just a little bit older than the house. Chelsea noticed Leland getting quiet and contemplative when they looked at the property. “I could tell he was really interested,” she says. “Somehow we ended up making an offer.”

A sign announcing Papa Citrus went up before the family even moved in.

“We came into this very impulsively and abruptly,” Chelsea says of their family’s transition to citrus farming in 2017. They weren’t city folks yearning for an agrarian lifestyle. They didn’t inherit an agricultural way of life. And they didn’t have any farming experience. But they were a can-do couple with no shortage of do-it-yourself energy.

Their family of six moved in just prior to their first harvest and hired Sunkist to come in and take care of the fruit. After a second year of partnership with the fruit giant, they realized they wanted more involvement and a direct link to their product and customer. “We wanted to make this more than a hobby and to enjoy it,” says Chelsea.

Gratefully, neighbors stepped in with both history and knowledge of the land and citrus farming that they shared readily. Before long, Chelsea and Leland became versed in sizing oranges and calculating BRIX scores for sugar content. Experience taught that the U.S. Postal Service is the best to ship far and wide. Packing boxes for shipment has become a well-oiled process.

An Instagram page chronicling the growth of the farm brought in the first customers and signaled that the family was on to a viable endeavor.

This month, Papa Citrus is taking pre-orders for its 2025 Christmas oranges that will open a harvest that will roll out from December through March. The family has created four distinct pathways for their crop and can joyfully say that they’ve figured out a business plan that is meaningful and satisfying.

There’s something special about Papa Citrus, Chelsea says, and she believes it’s the soil of the Oroville area. “Up here it’s not easy, but it’s the absolute best,” she says. Roots struggle in rocky red dirt but develop strong, hardy trees. The hill where the orchard is planted provides good drainage, and the nights are cool without freezing. “They get so incredibly sweet without compromising the tree,” she adds.

The smallest fruit are sold to area schools through the nutrition program. “Our kids go to those schools, so they eat them and their friends eat them,” says Chelsea. “We get so much joy from selling to the schools. The school districts are phenomenal and put nutrition and the students at the forefront.”

The original shipping program has expanded rapidly, with customers coming back year after year, with many on a monthly plan until the very last orange has been picked for the season. The boxes are particularly appealing to those in states with cold, dark winters. A box of Papa Citrus is like a ray of sunshine with the sweet and brightly colored navel oranges. The fruit are strong and hardy and ship well. “They’re not washed, not waxed. They are as fresh as you could possibly get,” says Chelsea. “It’s like a u-pick.”

For locals, the farm hosts a stand with oranges available on the honor system. Finally, the family invites food banks out to select fruit from the loss bins to feed the community. “It means as little waste as possible and we have people benefit from them,” says Chelsea.

“Every one of those avenues is really fulfilling for us,” she adds. They also enjoy partnering with local businesses to send a bonus gift with the Christmas boxes each year. Past offerings have included handmade citrus-scented candles and soaps as well as packets of Tenderly Rooted walnuts.

“It’s not all sunshine and roses,” says Chelsea. “It’s so much hard work and so many things get sacrificed. But what we’ve done is darn amazing. It’s been an amazing journey.” •

Papa Citrus * www.papa-citrus.myshopify.com