Kalamansi / Calamondin

This fruit, scientifically referred to as Citrofortunella mitis (Citrus reticulata x Fortunella sp), i.e. a hybrid of a Mandarin orange and the Kumquat, acal1is an essential ingredient in Philippine cooking (according to the Oxford Companion to Food). It is a small, flavor and acid packed fruit that has a distinct citrus flavor, sometimes described as a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. It is used in kinilaw (raw fish marinated in vinegar and kalamansi), to marinate meats, to squeeze over broiled food, noodles or fruit, to make juice, or candied into something sweet and sour at the same time.

This lime is indigenous to the country, or at least it is now, though its ancestors may have come from Mainland China. It grows readily throughout the archipelago and bears fruit all year long. They seem to be more abundant towards the summer but that may just be my imagination. At the market recently, they could be had for P40 a kilo for fresh, large and bright specimens. I bought several kilos that I made into juice or just used over fruit and in my favorite beefsteak tagalog recipe dripping with onions.

When purchasing, look for dark green, bright, glossy fruit that are firm to the touch. acal2I prefer the somewhat larger ones and as with other citrus, fresh leaves still attached to the fruit are a good sign that the shipment you are picking from has just arrived. They store easily in the fridge and should last 5-7 days. The flavor is considered so unique it now features in exotic ice creams/gelato in Paris and is being commercially developed as a flavoring by some food companies based in Southeast Asia.

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Marketman

Marketman is a well-traveled management consultant who loves buying, cooking and eating good food. Read more »

64 Responses

  1. Hi, I live in the Boston area and am trying to purchase Kalamansi juice here. Do you know of any sources? I previously got it from Citrus Farms but can’t find it anymore.
    Thanks!

  2. I wouold like to purchase Kalamansi. How do I get it from you? Can you export? Please reply as soon as possible. I live in Hawaii.
    Thank you,
    Diane

  4. Sorry guys, I haven’t the foggiest clue where to buy calamansi juice in the Boston or Hawaii. My best guess is to try Filipino foodstores in the New Jersey Filipino community or those on the West Coast in San Francisco or Los Angeles. No, I cannot send out calamansi as it is illegal to bring the plant through U.S. quarantine without the permits, etc. and besides, I wouldn’t know how to do that. There is calamansi juice concentrate sold in jars and I imagine this has made it to the states… good luck finding some! If U.S. based readers see this and know where to buy calamansi, please leave a comment, thanks.

  5. Manila Gold makes a frozen Kalamansi juice in individual packets. In Denver I buy them at the local asian market. Not sure about Boston or Hawaii.

  6. You can most definitely grow kalamansi in Hawaii. The climate comes close to the PI. Go to your local nursery. Here in Northern Calif. we frequent Capital Nursery and bought our plant there. I’ve got relatives who live in Maryland and they grow thiers in door.

  7. I am from the tropical island of Guam(originally from Philippines) and calamansi is abundant year round on this island. I use the ripe calamansi fruit for the lemonade drinks of the family especially my grandchildren. The regular orange juice on this island is too expensive. Because of its abundance, we normally pick the ripe fruits good for one week to a months supply by freezing the concentrate. Anybody who wants supply, I can send it frozen air shipped. We can shipped it frozen in juice form.

  8. i just got a calamondin plant from lowe’s over the weekend. check your local garden centers as well. i also bought a meyer lemon plant and key lime plant. you just have to bring them indoors during winter. you can also order these online (not sure about calamondin though) fm springhill.com.

    incidentally, i also got a gardenia – someone told me they even have it in costco for $19.99.

  9. Hi, just reading through your site and I thought you people might be interested in calamansi powder. It is spray dried from puree keeping most of its nutritional content. It is produced by a company called Global Partners,Inc. Philippines based in Laguna. It is now also available in the United States. Check out the site mentioned above. Thanks.

  10. Sorry, the site is gpi-phil.blogspot.com. Or check out the main website with more products at gpi-phil.com. Thanks again.

  12. To all kalamansi juice lovers and users in te US: Pleae give me an information about kalamansi and kalamansi juice extract supply there in the US.
    I want to study the possibility of exporting it to the US.

  13. Hi:

    I owned 700 kalamansi plants and have thought of following your advice on making Concentrated Calamansi. Please let me know if there are interested buyers of this product. Thanks. I like your article.

    anna

  14. Dear Readers,

    I have been exporting our kalamansi concentrate product to the US since year 2000. From what I know you can get our concentrate (brand is PICK & SQUEEZE) from Filipino stores or Asian stores. There is a lot of our product in LA. You will also find them in New York and New Jersey. I’m not sure though if it has reached the Bay area already.

    Please send me an email if there are any other information you want to know. Thank you and I hope you will be able to find our kalamansi in the shelves of these stores and be able to try the goodness of the product.

    Please remember…the brand is PICK & SQUEEZE.

    Best regards,

    Stella Cepeda
    Serramonte Enterprise

  15. Hello friends!
    I’m the project development officer of a calamansi growers cooperative in Siay,Zamboanga Sibugay,Philippines…

    Can you help us link to a stable markets? we have almost 100 farmer members who can supply a whole year round calamansi.

  16. Attention: Divina Alejandro

    I’m looking for stable suppliers of calamansi for export to Canada. Please e-mail me. Thanks.

  17. I buy my juice, as I await the crop from my front yard tree ( I live in Oakland, CA ) at Ranch 99 grocery. I prefer the packets of unsweetened juice so I can use as needed. They also have a lemonade-like concentrate, but it is super sweet.

    To the grower’s cooperative, I would assure you that you have a market for this juice, especially here in the food-savvy Bay Area. Would a big store like Whole Foods carry frozen calamansi products? Good luck- I hope to see this juice on more US shelves!

  18. I have a 10 hectares farm of kalamansi, if anyone interested in the extract, pls. let me know. I’m still here abroad KSA, but if ur interested I can go back by this coming december. so that we can talk about the business thank

    alex diaz
    Nueva Ecija

  20. Calamansi farm is found here in siay.The Catholic Relief services and the siay calamansi farmers cooperative are longing for a stable buyer.siay is the calamansi capital of the philippines.about thousand of hectares of calamansi are being planted.but the farmers are praying to have a buyer.just email me if you are interested too.we can assure that we can produce tons of calamansi.

  22. I just want to know if watering the plants with calamasi would help improve the growth of plants.
    This is for my ivestigatory project so please help
    thank you…

  24. matthew, thank you for politely asking, but I believe the POINT of your investigatory project is to investigate and probably experiment…NOT to ask the answer from a website that you googled. I would simply do your homework in the manner that will teach you something…

  25. Here in Texas, we can buy a “Kalamansi” commonly called Calamondin in the nursery. I have 2 plants in my backyard and so far they survive the winter seasons…..It doesn’t snow in this part of Texas (Brazoria County). It has been bearing fruits for my day to day consumption.

  26. Hi Janette! May I ask the exact address of the nursery where you bought your calamansi plants? I have a friend from Katy, TX and she’s really interested to have calamansi trees. Thank you so much!

  27. To All Kalamansi Juice Lovers:

    We are a manufacturer of Tropical Fruit Puree in the Philippines and sell them to both domestic and export markets. Our products can be use for making beverages, ice cream, bakery products as fillings and yogurts. We cannot only make purees but turn them into juices as well, just advise us of the potential market that you have. You can visit our website for more information and email me anytime.

    Looking forward into hearing from you.

    Regards,

    Cherry Paras
    Sales & Marketing Officer
    WEAMBARD INTERNATIONAL TRADERS,INC.

  28. To “alice” — I live in Houston, TX and have two Calamansi/Kalamansi trees. I have kept them in large pots and have had good fruit almost all year round now. I got them from Cornelius Nursery. Tell your friend in Katy that Cornelius has 3 locations in Houston: Voss (where I got mine), Dairy Ashford and FM 1960. Hope that helps.

  30. I plan to import calamansi concentrate and maybe other similar products from Philippines into Europe. Would like to be in contact with growers/suppliers and anyone who can give reliable information about this market.

  31. wow! calamansi growing seems to be a promising business..i have a 5 hectare of land in Isabela, Philippines and planning to fill it up with calamansi..can anyone suggest a nursery where i can buy plant materials? is it better to plant by means of seeds or grafting? i have a source of seeds already but im afraid it would take longer time before they bear fruits..how many years do you think is the gap between those planted through seeds and grafted before they bear fruits? i appreciate your advises..

  33. I really need the Kalamansi plant so that I can just grow in my backyard. Please let me know where to get it. I want to buy the plant. Thanks

    Judy

  35. *Judy* You certainly CAN grow the trees in the US. Hopefully you can find them. They can grow in most USDA 9 zones, better yet if you’re on the milder-winter side. (In CA, zone 14-15 is probably coldest kalamansi-friendly zone). I’ve had a tree in Oakley, Ca that has thrived for 8 years. It does suffer somewhat in the winter, but recovers well. The juiciest, tartes fruit can be had if you treat the tree as a drought-tolerant plant. Do not overwater.

    In the SF Bay Area, even Home Depot carries the Calomdin tree. However, this may depend on your local demographic (i.e., the more Pinoys in your area, the more likely they’d have it). Home Depot, Concord and Martinez both carry them. Ask your local nursery to find a source for you! Good luck!

  36. hi, anyone who know the nearest calamansi nursery in bulacan. Im interested in growing them in my place in san miguel. thanks

  37. I live in Dallas, TX. I use a lot of calamansi in my cooking. I have decided buy the plant instead of buying the fruit from the market. Any idea where i can get the plant? or could i plant it from using the seeds from the fruit? how successful is that?

  39. Dear Sir,

    We Korean want to know your all kinds of kalamansi dealing items. First of all we want to start the business of juice.
    If posible please inform me the dealing conditions and
    explanations of all items.
    This item is stranger in Korean market. We try to doing
    business step by step.

    Thanks

    Mr. Lee

  40. We regularly produce around 6,000 kilos of calamansi fruits per month. Anybody interested to buy? Our location is Nueva Ecija, Philippines

  41. Dear Folks,
    September is the season for us in buying Kalamansi by volume. Normally, Kalamansi Sweetetned concentrate is available for domestic & export use. Likewise, frozen puree in 1 kg. packs. Our company plans to sell Kalamansi concentrate unsweetened and can be stored in room temperature, designed for kitchen use. We are doing some preliminary tests and awaiting stable & reliable raw material suppliers (locally). We hope to fill in this gap of lack of kalamansi, especially to the millions of OFW abroad. What is beefsteak tagalog without kalamansi, or sisig or chicken inasal.
    Thanks & regards,

    Edwin

  42. dear guyz,
    Im very much impressed, towards this website. This helped me not only did i learned,but it made me think,”can I purchase Calamansi?”

    Please,I leave in Tandag City.

    Yours truly,
    Catherine

  44. i would just like to know what a calamansi needs to grow. is it high-maintenance? or doesn’t require much, except a few things.

    coz i need to know a calamansi’s details on how to grow, except that i can’t find one, even in wiki.

    thanks

  45. I have a similar fruit in my yard (in Hawaii) with the taste and size of kalamansi but it turns orange in color. the property is full of fruits from the phillippeans, my landlords familly moved to Hawaii and brought many plants. Your site has helped me identify most of them, except this tiny orange lime thing. I know it’s good with fish or in rum and coke!

  46. Hi stacey… it seems if you leave these on the tree long enough, they turn orange… and I have noticed that from comments from sites from florida as well… so you may have calamondins or kalamansi it seems… enjoy the fruit in juices, as a condiment on asian dishes, etc.

  47. Hi,

    I’m from Germany and I like to buy a kalamansi plant, but I don’t know where to buy it… please help me.

    thanks a lot,
    Tessa

  49. Hi Edwin,

    Is your Kalamansi concentrate available in the market yet? I’m really curious about your product especially its shelf life. If it is available, what is its name and where can i purchase some.

    Thanks!

    Carol

  50. hi…im jane and i am planning of having kalamansi as my investigatory project….what could be the possible things i can made out of it….can you help me guys??

  51. Hi,
    i m amol from india. I have sweet lime(kalamansi) and i want to export it . Can u help me. Coz i dont have agent who buy it.

  52. Hi,
    Just want to get a confirmation if indeed the kalamansi plant will take 3-5 years to bear fruits. The few plants that I had were grafted and I was told that then that they were ready to bear fruit. It has been one year since.

  53. hi. I’m a marketing officer of National Confederation of Farmers Association here in the Philippines (www.pakisama.org). Just recently, we formed a commodity cluster including CALAMANSI. We are now organizing a large group of calamansi farmers and linking them to the international market. For you’re inquiries, you can email me at lestre66@yahoo.com.

  55. hi! im from siay,zamboanga sibugay,mindanao-the kalamansi capital of the philippines since we produce tens of tons of kalamansi each month.if u want to have a stable supply of fresh and concentrate kalamansi juice just email artmed1993@yahoo.com or call 09177230801/09265145350.

  56. I live in New York ( Long Island -zone 7 ) I own 3 calamansi plant . i used to have 5 but 2 died. The 3 plant so far is now
    3-5 years old but I managed to keep it 2-21/2 feet long. Calamondin is an excellent indoor plant and I agree don’t overwater. In fact i work long hours and away at home most of the time that i only water them once or twice a week and so far and they are bearing fruit all year. I love my calamansi fruit not just for it’s purpose but also for sentimental reason. It reminds me of my hometown in the Philippines. it connects me perpetually to my roots . for those who live in colder region like Northeast ( New York for instant )- keep calamondin plant indoor beginning late october- when temperature start to fall 30-40 degree . wenterize them before bringing them indoor for them to survive. calamondin is prone to bugs – so I applied some insecticidal indoor powder and incorporate it to the soil. I also spray clean the leaves with INSECTICIDAL SOAP THE DAY BEFORE AND THE FOLLOWING DAY -i SPRAY WITH PLANT OIL . THIS PROCEDURE AS CUMBERSOME AS IT IS ENSURE THAT THEY WILL SURVIVE WINTER . THEN I PUT THEM IN THE SUNNY LOCATION IN MY LIVING ROOM .THEY LOOK BEAUTIFUL AND SMELL FRAGRANT DURING WINTER TIME. LATE APRIL AFTER THE LAST FROST IS OVER – i BRING THEM OUTDOOR UNTIL OCTOBER.ONCE THEY ARE OUTDOOR – i APPLY FERTILIZER DURING EARLY SPRING AND SOON THEY START BLOOMING FRESH NEW FLOWER. SEEM LIKE A LOT OF WORK BUT IT IS REALLY A PLEASURE AND SATISFYING SPECIALLY WHEN ONE ENJOY THE FRUIT ALL YEAR ROUND.

  57. I lived in the Philippines for 18 months, bought calamansi everyweek at the fresh markets. Now I live in Colorado, but want to buy two trees, which I could have inside near picture windows. The sunshine in Colorado is great, and I think they would thrive inside. Where can I buy the (preferably dwarf) size? Thank you Donna Shepherd kdshep2@yahoo.com

  58. I want to know where I can purchase a calamansi tree here in Houston. I found one previously but that nursery is now closed. The other one I had, I killed because I forgot to water it over the winter.

  59. I’m in Florida and I just bought a calamondin tree at WalMart. They had them with other citrus trees. I had to look at the tag to find the ‘calamondin.’ My sis has 2 kalamansi trees and it thrives really well here in FL. I can’t wait for mine to start bearing fruit. :) I believe Home Depot or Lowe’s carries them too.

  60. Bought a calamondin tree from Lowe’s in Fl a mo ago.Nursery tag shows it was ISD treated(Imidacloprid soil drench).It is a systemic synthetic insecticide.Plant experts from Univ of FL advised me not to consume any fruit from the tree for the next two years. ISD treated plants retain the chemical for over 12 mo. To ward off pests, they recommend regular water sprays all over the tree,including the undersides of the leaves.Citrus trees available in home stores usually come from reputable nurseries but almost all have some form of insecticide treatment.(= healthy foliage,pest free look)

  61. I am interested in importing calamansi juice to Australia. Please contact me if you are a manufacturer/ exporter.

    Thank you
    Karen Owen

  62. to karen, what’s your contact no. what kind of kalamansi products you want to trade in

  63. H,IM RAQUEL AMANTE WE OWN A CALAMANSI FRUITS.I WANT TO FIND A BUYER OF IT. IF U ARE INTERESTED PLEASE TEXT OR CALL ME.THIS IS MY NUMBER 09089447079 OR 09084975094. I CAME FROM DAVAO DEL NORTE. THANKZ:RAQUEL AMANTE JULY 24RTH,09

  64. I have a very large calamondin tree in my backyard that was here when we moved in. When is the best time to pick the fruit? Should it be turning yellow, or is it okay to leave it until it turns orange?
    Thanks!
    Teresa

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