The end of a busy workday. It’s late fall and the yellows, oranges and reds are fading from the trees as they shed their leaves, and are replaced by a golden sunset. Time to relax and have a colorful, tasteful seasonal treat before a late dinner: California clementines with a glass of sherry and some slices of the cheese of your choice.

Chances are the clementines you purchased came from Paramount Citrus Packing Company in Delano, CA. This golden-orange fruit is ready to harvest near the end of October, and the harvest is now so big that it takes a brand-new, automated washing, grading, inspection and packing plant to handle the sheer number of fruit. The benefit of this automated plant is that it provides consumers really fresh fruit consistent in size, color, quality and taste. In addition, the plant scores environmental points.