A LONGSTANDING grocery brand, over a century old, has officially collapsed and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
The legacy citrus producer, selling its products in over 50,000 US grocery stores, is shutting down after 125 years in business.
Established in 1899, Corona-College Heights Orange & Lemon Association, or CCH, has had a long run in the produce space, providing high-quality fruits to retailers for over a century.
One of the largest citrus packing houses in the world, CCH specializes in sourcing and packing citrus such as organic lemons, oranges, and red grapefruit from California.
Over its long history, the company has endured several fires, over 12 freezes, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and approximately 14 mergers and acquisitions.
The company’s time has come to an end however, with its board of directors determining at a special meeting on June 24, 2025, that in was in CCH’s best interest to file for Chapter 7.
CCH filed for bankruptcy at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, submitting its bankruptcy documents to the court on July 7.
Under Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the company will liquidate its assets to pay off creditors, differing from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in which a business continues operating while it reorganizes its finances.
Court documents revealed that the company had assets between $1 million and $10 million and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million.
The citrus company has anywhere between 200 and 999 creditors, per court documents.
CCH will liquidate its assets to pay off its debts to the lenders, who have a creditors’ meeting scheduled for August 13, 2025, at 8 am over Zoom.
No funds will be available to unsecured creditors after any administrative expenses have been paid, per the court documents.
WHY THE FILING?
CCH operated over 3,000 acres of organic citrus in several growing regions across California, providing high-quality citrus products to its large US customer base.
The company’s primary customers were retailers and wholesalers across the country, especially cooperatives, natural stores, and regional to national grocers, Garff Hathcock, CCH’s director of field operations told Organic Produce Network at the start of 2024.
At the time, CCH’s products were sold in more than 50,000 US grocery stores, serviced through various distribution systems, he said.
When the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this month, it did not reveal the causes.
How does bankruptcy work?
Bankruptcy is a specific legal process that helps companies eliminate debt they can’t repay.
The process allows businesses to start fresh and gain access to new credit.
Supervised by federal courts, bankruptcies allow a company to sell off its assets more easily to pay off creditors, according to Investopedia.
Chapter 11, a common process for companies, is used to restructure a business with the goal of remaining open – even if it means selling off most of the company’s properties.
Chapter 7, on the other hand, sells all of a company’s assets, putting it out of business.
Chapter 15, alternatively, allows for collaboration between American and foreign courts to conduct bankruptcy proceedings with “parties of interest involving more than one country,” per the United States Courts.
CCH’s website even bragged about its financial stability, saying that the company has “no debt” and had a “solid financial footing.”
Hathcock previously touched on factors that may have pushed the company’s demise when he told Organic Produce Network last year that, while there was an overall increase in demand in the organic citrus industry, there were also rising operational costs.
He also admitted that CCH growers had encountered several challenges in recent growing seasons.
These struggles ranged from “erratic and extreme weather patterns to the emergence of new pests like the Asian Citrus Psyllid and quarantines aiming to eradicate the risk of Oriental Fruit Fly that create a risk to all citrus growing, conventional and organic.”
He said that the obstacles required CCH growers to adapt and implement both traditional wisdom and modern technology.
“This adaptability has allowed CCH Citrus growers to stay vigilant to maintain the quality and yield of its crops, even under these difficult conditions,” Hathcock said at the time.
CCH isn’t the only company that has recently filed for bankruptcy.
Another beloved grocery chain filed for bankruptcy after 50 years leaving only one location left – and “big box” is to blame.
Meanwhile, a furniture chain with over 95 locations filed for bankruptcy after 37 years – and only half will remain open.
