OUR HISTORY

Citrus and Allied (C&A) is a family owned and operated company since 1933. We are a leading global manufacturer of quality flavor ingredients and fragrance materials, including the essential oils of orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, bergamot, and clementine. We are also known for sourcing and distilling peppermint, spearmint, cornmint, and spice oils.

Timeline

1933
Charles Pisano, a knowledgeable essential oil chemist, started Citrus and Allied Essences Ltd. in 1933 with his wife Josephine. Located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, their first customers included essential oil dealers, flavor and fragrance formulators, and pharmaceutical companies.
1933
1939
The 1939 World’s Fair in New York was intended to herald the end of the Great Depression, and to lift the curtain on the promises of the future. Among such exhibits as the Chrysler Air-Flow, a Voice Synthesizer and one of the first Televisions, Charles Pisano displayed a Glass Vacuum Distillation Column he designed to fractionate the components of essential oils which made it possible to concentrate oils with minimal loss of flavor character. C&A had grown and moved the facility to the east New York section of Brooklyn, which offered additional laboratory space and allowed to increase processing of essential oils.
1939
1940
Charles Pisano started producing essential oils in the Dominican Republic. He established a lime oil distillery and processed bitter orange oil using sponges.
1940
1956
Charles and Josephine’s son Richard joined C&A. Through Richard’s efforts, C&A gained its premier reputation. Richard sourced essential oils throughout the world from companies that he personally visited.
1956
1958
C&A diversified its line of essential oils by specializing in peppermint oils sourced from the Pacific Northwest.
1958
1960
C&A began importing specialty aroma chemicals from Europe and Asia for sale in the flavor and fragrance industries.
1960
1965
C&A continued to expand and moved to a larger facility in Floral Park, New York.
1965
1969
Richard became President of C&A when his father Charles unexpectedly passed away. William Fankhauser joined the company and helped to grow its sales.
1969
1970s
The demand for natural flavors grew tremendously and C&A was well positioned as a distiller of essential oils and a manufacturer of natural aroma chemicals.
1970s
1980s
Throughout the 1980s, the third generation of the Pisano family joined C&A.
1980s
1990
The company opened its new 34,000 square foot plant on 7 acres of land in Belcamp, Maryland. Today, the plant is 90,000 square feet and further expansion is on the horizon.
1990
1993
C&A opened a lime oil processing facility in Mexico.
1993
1998
An extensive line of spice extracts was added to C&A’s product portfolio.
1998
2000s
C&A expanded its distillation capabilities and worldwide warehousing.
2000s
2007
Richard Pisano Jr. became President of the company and Stephen Pisano became Executive Vice President.
2007
2018
The fourth generation of the Pisano family joined C&A.
2018
2020
C&A launched a line of botanical extracts manufactured in Colima, Mexico and the USA.
2020
2021
C&A acquired the essential oil, extract, and fragrance business segments of Medallion International, a Boudjouk family owned business since 1976.
2021