Pogust Goodhead represents over 1,600 orange growers and former orange growers, 22 companies, and the Brazilian Association of Citrus Growers (Associtrus) against the Cutrale family for engaging in an unlawful cartel. 

The Cutrale family are alleged to have created a monopoly in the markets in Brazil for the acquisition of oranges and the production of frozen concentrated orange juice, thereby controlling the process and volumes of orange juice exported to the international market.  

Brazil is the largest producer of orange juice in the world. The Brazilian Competition Authority (CADE) found in 2018 that the world’s largest orange juice processors engaged in collusive cartel behaviour to gain control of the market to reduce the selling price of oranges, damaging thousands of independent orange producers since the 1980s.

Many producers have been pushed out of the industry and the remaining independent farmers were forced to accept the cartel’s harsh terms for buying their produce, which led to great financial losses. 

Pogust Goodhead and the claimants are currently in the process of seeking justice in the UK courts in this landmark case.