The United States bought 90.2% of Latin American fresh limes in 2026, at US$ 1.35 per kilo

Martín Garay

Published November 2026 · Data through 15 October 2026 · 4 min read

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In 2026, 554 companies bought US$ 478.04 million of fresh limes from Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador under their own name, in 12,483 shipments. The United States bought 90.2% of that value at US$ 1.35 per kilo. The 10 largest buyers took 33.3% and the three largest 12.4%.

I went through the customs export records of the four countries, shipment by shipment, to see who bought, from whom and at what price. I counted the Persian or Tahiti lime and the key lime, and left out the yellow lemon. I counted the shipments that declare a buyer, from January to the latest month each country has published: August for Mexico and Colombia, October for Peru and Ecuador. The price per kilo is the value divided by the net kilos. US$ 37.54 million, 7.9% of the value, moved between companies of one group; those shipments count in the totals and I left them out of every price below.

If you export fresh limes, this list shows where the buyers are, what each market paid per kilo and which buyers already work with many exporters.

Where the buyers are

The United States bought US$ 431.27 million through 359 buyers at US$ 1.35 per kilo. Mexico supplied US$ 346.80 million of that, Colombia US$ 71.23 million and Peru US$ 12.73 million.

The Netherlands came second, with US$ 14.40 million through 38 buyers at US$ 1.65 per kilo, and Colombia supplied US$ 10.83 million of it. Macalea led with US$ 2.95 million, then Eurogroup Espana with US$ 1.75 million and Orange Import with US$ 1.54 million.

The Dominican Republic bought US$ 7.72 million through 36 buyers at US$ 0.97 per kilo, US$ 5.90 million of it from Peru. Puerto Rico bought US$ 5.49 million, all of it from Colombia, at US$ 1.35. The United Kingdom bought US$ 3.50 million at US$ 1.05, and Pacific bought US$ 2.77 million of that. Panama bought US$ 3.26 million, all of it from Peru, at US$ 0.83.

The largest buyers

Cropical Fruits was the largest buyer, with US$ 23.46 million, 4.9% of the value, at US$ 1.84 per kilo. All 656 of its shipments came from Colombia. Comercializadora Internacional Grupo Exportador del Caribe sold it US$ 13.09 million and Ramafruts US$ 10.37 million.

Limex Sicar followed with US$ 18.46 million at US$ 1.99 per kilo, in 783 shipments from Mexico. Sicar sold it US$ 15.94 million of that. Del Monte bought US$ 17.54 million at US$ 1.53, and Terra Nova Limes sold it US$ 15.05 million.

Wonderful Citrus bought US$ 16.17 million at US$ 0.82 per kilo, the lowest price among the 10 largest buyers. Productora Agricola de Citricos Potosinos sold it US$ 14.51 million. Sicar Farms bought US$ 15.44 million from seven exporters, and Colimex US$ 15.03 million, also from seven.

Among the buyers of more than US$ 5 million that buy outside their own group, Latin Special Ties paid the highest price, US$ 2.20 per kilo, for US$ 12.21 million, all of it from Sicar. Limex Sicar followed at US$ 1.99, Cropical Fruits at US$ 1.84, Sweet Seasons at US$ 1.76 and Trans American Import at US$ 1.72. Across all buyers the average was US$ 1.34 per kilo, and the median shipment sold at US$ 1.31.

The price moved with the Mexican season

Mexican limes sold at US$ 1.24 per kilo in January, US$ 2.15 in March and US$ 0.75 in July. Mexico shipped 32,483 tonnes in March and 43,100 in June. Colombian limes moved less, from US$ 1.28 in January to US$ 1.92 in April and US$ 1.38 in August. Peruvian limes stayed between US$ 0.85 and US$ 1.13 every month.

By origin, Colombian limes sold at US$ 1.53 per kilo in 2026, Mexican at US$ 1.33 and Peruvian at US$ 1.05.

The buyers that already work with many exporters

Of the 554 buyers, 384 bought from a single exporter in 2026, 30 from five or more and one from 10 or more. Sunrise Produce bought from 11 exporters, US$ 5.61 million at US$ 1.36 per kilo. Vision Global Group and Terra Produce bought from nine each. Vision Global Group took fruit from Peru and Mexico, and Terra Produce from Colombia and Peru. Del Monte, Sicar Farms and Colimex bought from seven each.

In all, 38 buyers bought from two of the four countries and four from three.

If I exported fresh limes from Peru, I would start with the 30 buyers that already take fruit from five or more exporters, because they have shown they add sellers. Then the Netherlands, which paid US$ 1.65 per kilo, and the Caribbean, where the Dominican Republic and Panama already buy Peruvian fruit.

The World Fresh Lime Buyers Radar names the 554 buyers, with a profile for the largest, what each one paid per kilo and its suppliers.

The numbers behind this

Get the list of world fresh lime buyers

Every buyer of fresh limes from Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador in 2026, ranked by value, with the price each one paid per kilo and its suppliers.

See the buyer list