Rose’s lime juice has been a staple product in many homes for decades. Known for its bright, refreshing flavor, this lime juice has been a key ingredient in cocktails, marinades, and dressings. However, in recent months, shoppers have been met with empty shelves where Rose’s lime juice once sat. So what has caused this sudden shortage of a once reliable pantry staple?
What is Rose’s Lime Juice?
Rose’s lime juice is a concentrated, shelf-stable lime juice product produced by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. It’s made from real lime juice and natural flavors, providing a punchy lime taste without the need for refrigeration. The iconic green bottle with its yellow lid has graced refrigerator doors for over a century. The Rose’s brand was founded in the United States in the 1860s, with the concentrated lime juice product hitting shelves in 1935. For generations, it’s been a convenient way to add lime flavor to recipes.
When Did the Shortage Begin?
The shortage of Rose’s lime juice seems to have begun in late summer 2022. Customers began posting on social media about being unable to find the product in stores across the United States. The supply issue appeared to be national, with reports of empty shelves coming from grocery stores all over the country. Based on customer accounts, August and September 2022 were the first months when stock of Rose’s lime juice became depleted.
What Factors Led to the Shortage?
There are a few key factors that experts believe contributed to the sudden Rose’s lime juice shortage:
Bad Lime Harvests
Limes are harvested in different regions at different times of year. The lime growing regions in Mexico suffered from bad weather and disease during key harvest times in 2022. This led to reduced yields of fresh limes coming from Mexico, which is a major supplier to the US. With fewer fresh limes to process, it put a strain on lime juice production.
Supply Chain Issues
Ongoing supply chain problems slowed the distribution of Rose’s lime juice across the country. Trucking, shipping and rail networks have been disrupted due to labor shortages and high fuel costs. Getting products from factories to warehouses to stores has become more difficult and unpredictable. Even if there was enough juice produced, challenges shipping it out meant it didn’t make it to all stores.
Hoarding
Seeing empty store shelves apparently led some customers to buy extra bottles of Rose’s lime juice whenever they could find it in stock. Some likely feared it would run out and hoarded extra bottles. This hoarding behavior further depleted supplies making the shortage appear even worse.
Higher Costs
Higher production and transportation costs due to inflation led Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the maker of Rose’s lime juice, to raise their prices for the product. Some stores may have temporarily stopped stocking Rose’s juice rather than pay higher wholesale prices. This reduced availability until pricing issues were resolved.
When Will Rose’s Lime Juice be Back in Stock?
The Dr Pepper Snapple Group stated in September 2022 that they were working hard to ramp up production and improve distribution flows. However, they did not provide specifics on when ample supplies of Rose’s lime juice would return to store shelves. Based on customer reports, some stores began seeing limited supplies of the juice again in late October. However, many stores were still sold out. Industry experts predict that it may take until early 2023 for Rose’s lime juice stock to normalize across the country.
Are Other Lime Juice Brands Affected?
Rose’s appears to be the most severely impacted lime juice brand. However, some stores have also seen shortages of other popular bottled lime juice products like Realime and Santa Cruz. The wider supply issues affecting lime crops, transportation, and costs have put pressure on all bottled lime juice makers. However, the shortages do not seem as widespread among other brands as with Rose’s specifically.
When Will Prices Normalize?
Assuming supply rebounds in early 2023 as predicted, pricing of Rose’s lime juice should stabilize shortly after. Wholesale pricing from Dr Pepper Snapple Group will return to normal rates once the supply and demand imbalance eases. Retail prices should follow. Barring any new disruptions, lime juice prices for both manufacturers and consumers should normalize by mid-2023.
Are Restaurants and Bars Also Affected?
Commercial establishments like restaurants, bars, and hotels typically buy lime juice in bulk directly from manufacturers or distributors. Many such establishments have reported similar supply issues and price increases on bottled lime juice over the past several months. However, commercial buyers aren’t reliant on retail stores, so many have been able to maintain their supplies. Still, higher costs are impacting profit margins for restaurants and bars serving lime juice. Shortages may improve for commercial buyers as production ramps up over the coming months.
What’s Causing the Lime Shortages in Mexico?
There are a few contributing factors causing reduced lime yields in Mexico:
Disease
Citrus greening disease has devastated Mexico’s lime crops over the past decade. This bacterial infection is spread by insects and causes bitter, misshapen fruit. It has killed millions of lime trees across Mexico’s growing regions.
Weather
Bad weather, including flooding, hailstorms, and drought at key times in the growing cycle damaged many lime crops in Mexico this past year. The erratic weather reduced overall yields.
Cartels
Lime growing regions in western Mexico have become increasingly lawless due to cartel activities. Lime farmers have been extorted for protection money and supplies stolen. This has driven up production costs and made farming more unpredictable.
Why Can’t Mexico Import More Limes?
Mexico actually relies heavily on imported limes itself to meet high domestic demand. Mexico’s biggest supplier has traditionally been Colombia. However, Colombia’s crops have suffered weather problems and disease as well. There is little surplus lime supply in the broader Latin America region for Mexico to import to compensate for its own poor harvests.
Are U.S. Lime Crops Also Hurting?
Limes are also grown commercially in Florida and California. However, production in the U.S. makes up less than 10% of total consumption. Domestic crops have been reasonably healthy and are helping supplement reduced Mexican imports. But U.S. lime production is not large enough to meet needs on its own.
Could Other Regions Supply More Limes?
In theory, regions like Africa and Asia could potentially produce more limes for the global market. However, ramping up commercial farming and shipping from these regions takes substantial investment and time. Switching suppliers for large customers like Rose’s is not something that can happen overnight. But if Mexican lime shortages persist, importing from other regions could increase in the coming years.
Will Prices Increase for Restaurants and Bars?
Many restaurants and bars are already paying higher prices for bottled lime juice from their suppliers. Smaller profit margins may force some establishments to consider raising menu prices or cutting back on lime juice usage in cocktails and recipes. Using less juice or switching to lower-cost juice alternatives are other ways restaurants could adapt if lime prices remain substantially higher through 2023. Bars with signature lime-forward cocktails may be less willing to compromise on juice quality and therefore more likely to increase drink prices.
| Restaurant Type | Likelihood of Increasing Menu Prices |
|---|---|
| High-end cocktail bar | High |
| Casual sit-down restaurant | Medium |
| Quick-service restaurant | Low |
Will Grocery Stores Increase Prices?
Many grocers increased prices on Rose’s and other bottled lime juice products as supplies tightened in 2022. This passed on the higher wholesale rates they were paying to producers like Dr Pepper Snapple. As wholesale prices level off, grocery store pricing should stabilize as well. Competitive pressure should prevent excessive price gouging by retailers as supplies improve. Only stores with no nearby competitors may keep prices higher than justified by wholesale costs.
Should Consumers Stockpile Lime Juice?
Hoarding behavior from consumers clearly contributed to the shortage of Rose’s lime juice. While it’s understandable to want to secure a favorite product, stockpiling often backfires by exacerbating shortages. Consumers should resist the urge to buy extra bottles beyond their near-term needs. Lime juice has a long shelf life, so even expired juice won’t go to waste before new supply arrives. Buying moderately as needed allows stores to restock and gets the product to more households.
Are Other Citrus Juices Impacted?
Lime juice seems to be uniquely affected by the supply problems stemming from Mexico’s crops. Other citrus juices like lemon, orange and grapefruit rely less on Mexican imports. These products are seeing normal supply and pricing currently. Only lime juice is seeing the severe shortage thanks to Mexico’s outsized role in lime production versus other citrus fruits.
What Can Restaurants and Bars Do?
Until lime juice supply improves, restaurants and bars can take steps like:
- Ration servings of lime juice in recipes
- Test new cocktail recipes requiring less lime juice
- Promote cocktails using other citrus juices
- Partner with local lime growers if available
- Offer discounts on drinks with no lime juice
Taking creative approaches allows businesses to adapt while minimizing impacts on customers. Price increases on select menu items can help offset higher ingredient costs as well.
Will Lime Prices Increase Globally?
Mexico is the world’s second largest producer and exporter of limes behind only Brazil. With Mexico’s crop issues, global wholesale lime prices have risen over 50% in 2022 compared to recent years. Countries that rely heavily on imported limes from Mexico are most impacted. For example, lime prices doubled in Japan and tripled in the European Union. U.S. wholesale prices are up as well but not as drastically thanks to domestic growing regions supplementing imports. Barring major weather events in other countries, global prices should moderate as Mexico’s production recovers.
Conclusion
The sudden shortage of America’s top bottled lime juice product has been frustrating. Yet the supply crunch likely won’t last indefinitely. With Mexico’s crops poised to rebound and distribution challenges easing, Rose’s lime juice should flow freely again soon. Home cooks and bartenders can look forward to once more enjoying their favorite lime juice brand in early 2023. And the iconic green bottle will rightfully return to its place stocked in refrigerator doors across the nation.