It happens late in the season. A woman with long, salt-and-pepper hair stands in line at the Trader Joe’s on 72nd Street in Manhattan, evangelizing to her fellow shoppers about the magic of Sumo oranges. We can’t hear what she is saying, but whatever it is, it’s effective. The camera pans: half the line has added Sumos to their carts.
When she posted a video of the 16 March moment to TikTok, Elizabeth Venter, a 28-year-old clothing designer, never expected to spark a Sumo conversation. But 7.7m views later, Venter’s video has precipitated a watershed moment for citrus on the internet. TikToks of first-time Sumo buyers specifically citing the influence of the anonymous New Yorker abound, with new converts reporting back from Florida and Virginia to California and beyond.
