As a loyal Hale Groves customer, you have undoubtedly been appreciating the benefits of fresh healthy citrus for some time, but what you may not know is just how significant the role of citrus groves has been in shaping Florida’s history.
The first citrus groves were likely planted by the Spanish explorers between 1513 and 1565, and by the beginning of the 19th century, the Florida landscape was dotted with citrus groves, and the few seeds that had taken root centuries ago had blossomed into a booming industry.
Workers poured into the state to fill the demand, causing both an economic and a population boom. Shortly after the Civil War, the annual citrus production in the state of Florida was approximately one million boxes, and this number rapidly expanded to more than five million boxes by 1893. Florida’s Mediterranean climate and sandy soil proved to be the ideal environment for citrus trees to thrive in, and new land was set aside to accommodate the success of these transplants and the growing demand for them. The advent of improved transportation methods meant that an increasing number of new states were able to receive shipments of Florida citrus, and this prosperity continued relatively unabated until 1894, when the Great Freeze decimated many of the state’s citrus groves, causing production to fall to only 147 boxes in the year 1895.
The industry recovered from the Great Freeze by the year 1915, due largely in part to the decision to concentrate citrus cultivation in the southern, more frost-resistant parts of the state.
1971 saw a record amount, with more than 200 million boxes of citrus produced, and demand for fresh, healthy citrus fruit continued to increase from all parts of the globe. Today, it is estimated that that more than 11,000 citrus growers are producing nearly 750 million citrus trees in the state of Florida, which produces more citrus fruits than any other world region, with the exception of Brazil.
At Hale Groves, we pride ourselves in continuing the tradition of quality Florida citrus production. Our produce comes from only the finest citrus groves, and is picked at the peak of freshness to ensure optimal taste and overall fruit quality. Our choice assortment of fruits, gift baskets, gourmet chocolates, and gifts for every occasion means that as a loyal Hale Groves customer, you will always have new products to sample and innovative gift ideas to try, each one chock-full of the fresh goodness that has made the state of Florida famous for generations. |
