TexSun Corporation

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about TexSun Corporation, right there in Hidalgo County. Now, the Rio Grande Valley has always had a flair for growing things, and by the time the twentieth century rolled around, citrus was woven right into the fabric of the Valley's economy. The groves came on strong in the nineteen twenties and thirties, spreading out across the land like they had somewhere to be and no intention of stopping.

But here's the thing about growing too much of something too fast: the marketing couldn't keep up. All those oranges and grapefruits, and not enough of a system to move them. So in 1932, seventeen citrus associations got together and formed the Rio Grande Valley Citrus Exchange.

Seventeen. That's a lot of growers deciding, at the same time, that they needed each other. The exchange started producing under two labels: TexSun and Tex Maid.

And they didn't stop there. Over time they built out a box company, juicing and canning facilities, and even a dehydration plant that turned citrus pulp into cattle feed. Now that last part is the kind of ingenuity that doesn't get nearly enough credit.

Nothing wasted, nothing left on the ground. The operation kept growing in a different sense after that. It became a public corporation in 1956, and then a subsidiary company in 1971.

The plant ran until 1991, when it ceased operations. But what it left behind in Weslaco, in the Valley, and in the Texas citrus industry altogether, well, the marker calls that impact significant. And out here on the road, that word carries weight.

What the marker says

The citrus industry was an integral part of the Rio Grande Valley economy in the 20th century. Grove development burgeoned in the 1920s and 1930s, but production outpaced early marketing capabilities; in 1932, 17 citrus associations formed the Rio Grande Valley Citrus Exchange. The exchange began production under the labels of TexSun and Tex Maid, and later had a box company, juicing and canning facilities, and a dehydration plant for citrus pulp-based cattle feed. It became a public corporation in 1956 and a subsidiary company in 1971. The plant ceased operations in 1991, but its economic impact on the Texas citrus industry, The Valley and Weslaco was significant. (2004)