While many wouldn’t think of Minnesota as a hub for producing millions of gallons of fresh juices and teas, that’s exactly what’s happening at Citrus Systems located in Hopkins, Minnesota.

Founded in 1985 by entrepreneur Tom Boehland, the company has continued to evolve over the last three decades and has seen a tremendous growth spurt in the past three years – even in the midst of a pandemic.

Since 2018, the company has nearly doubled its staff and now boasts nearly 110 employees who work to produce 35 million gallons of juice and teas each year in 325 SKUs serving the likes of major clients such as Aldi, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Hy-Vee and many more.

Citrus Systems produces 35 million gallons of juice and teas every year in their plant in Hopkins, Minnesota.

The company has come a long way since Boehland had a glimmer of an idea to produce his own product after he got his start selling bag-in-box juices while attending college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983. Two years later, he launched his own juice in a bag-in-box concept in a 10 by 10 storage unit. He’s come a long way since then.

Fast forward to pre-pandemic and Citrus Systems was operating out of three buildings and 62,000 square feet producing juice not only for retailers but for institutional organizations like schools and nursing homes. While Covid-19 caused the institutional sales to cease, the retail business has boomed as more people are consuming juice at home.

The importance of local banking relationships

Revenue has also seen a tremendous leap from $34M in 2018 to an expected $62M in 2020 and is expected to jump to $75M in 2021. In the last few years, Boehland has turned to Crown Bank for support when needed.

Citrus Systems Founder Tom Boehland meets with Crown Bank President and COO Jeff Wessels and Vice President Ashley Dolphin during a tour of their updated facility.

“Crown Bank has made it possible for me to focus on my business instead of worrying about the banking,” Boehland said. “Whether it’s the ability to access cash, be nimble or quick decision making, Crown is always there if there’s a bump in the road.”

Boehland credits Crown Bank’s cash management tools as saving him thousands of dollars in interest monthly. When it came time to apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, Boehland knew help was a phone call away.

“The relationship with my banker is key,” Boehland said. “You gotta believe in your banker and the banker has to believe in you.”

Ashley Dolphin, senior vice president at Crown Bank, is Boehland’s main point of contact. She oversees a team at Crown who help Boehland and his team at Citrus Systems utilize the full suite of options at the bank from lines of credit to term debt, to deposit tools and more.

“It’s been great to witness the rapid growth of Citrus Systems under Tom’s leadership,” Dolphin said. “He is always thinking about how to grow, create and overcome obstacles and I’ve enjoyed collaborating with him to tackle those growth needs.”

With that kind of partnership in place, Boehland has peace of mind to continue expanding his citrus empire.

At Crown Bank we make the possible, possible. To see more stories about what we do for our customers go to crown-bank.com.

Founded in 2000, Crown Bank is a trusted source for community banking. Crown Bank has been named a top 20 lender nationwide by the Independent Community Bankers of America and “Best Bank” in 2021 by the Edina Sun Current readers.