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, 
is 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. 
I 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.
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.
June 6th, 2005Thanks!
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.
June 15th, 2005Thank you,
Diane
Trying to find kalamansi in the US can you help
June 22nd, 2005Sorry 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.
June 26th, 2005Manila 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.
July 2nd, 2005You 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.
October 2nd, 2005I 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.
November 25th, 2005i 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.
March 31st, 2006Hi, 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.
May 8th, 2006Sorry, the site is gpi-phil.blogspot.com. Or check out the main website with more products at gpi-phil.com. Thanks again.
May 8th, 2006aljoe817, thanks for that info, hopefully U.S. based readers will take note!
May 8th, 2006To 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.
April 30th, 2007I want to study the possibility of exporting it to the US.
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
June 13th, 2007Dear 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
June 30th, 2007Serramonte Enterprise
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.
July 22nd, 2007Attention: Divina Alejandro
I’m looking for stable suppliers of calamansi for export to Canada. Please e-mail me. Thanks.
August 25th, 2007I 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!
September 21st, 2007I 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
September 30th, 2007Nueva Ecija
here is my email add:
September 30th, 2007Alex Diaz
acdiaz_78@hotmail.com
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.
September 30th, 2007Try http://www.philipinomart.com/
They sell philippine foods online delivered to your door.
October 24th, 2007I just want to know if watering the plants with calamasi would help improve the growth of plants.
November 4th, 2007This is for my ivestigatory project so please help
thank you…
please send your response to my email address
November 4th, 2007THANK YOU VERY MUCH…
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…
November 4th, 2007Here 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.
January 26th, 2008Hi 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!
January 31st, 2008To 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
February 6th, 2008Sales & Marketing Officer
WEAMBARD INTERNATIONAL TRADERS,INC.
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.
February 18th, 2008am looking for calamondin juice in the Naples, Fl area. please advise
February 29th, 2008I 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.
March 1st, 2008wow! 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..
March 9th, 2008Do you have kalanmsi & honey juise and do you ship APO or to the US.
March 20th, 2008I 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
March 21st, 2008Hello, looking to talk to calamansi farmers/cooperatives in the Philippines re: export of the product.. Just want to ask a few questions.. Please email me at mia_cabalfin@yahoo.com.
March 25th, 2008Thank you!
*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!
April 2nd, 2008hi, anyone who know the nearest calamansi nursery in bulacan. Im interested in growing them in my place in san miguel. thanks
April 15th, 2008I 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?
April 21st, 2008I just ordered some concentrate with honey from here today:
http://www.orientalsuper-mart.com/OSM-category-get-selection.php?mfg=205&catid=10
First time I’ve ordered, so we’ll see…
Chris, thanks tons for letting us know about Ranch 99 grocery! I think I’ll have to take a grocery trip to your side of the bay sometime.
May 5th, 2008Dear 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
June 13th, 2008We regularly produce around 6,000 kilos of calamansi fruits per month. Anybody interested to buy? Our location is Nueva Ecija, Philippines
July 4th, 2008Dear 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
July 20th, 2008dear 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,
August 15th, 2008Catherine