Florida Orange Juice: From Field To Fridge

You’re sitting at the table downing your glass of morning sunshine we call Florida orange juice when the question pops into your head “How do they make this stuff?” Okay that question probably never has popped into your head unless you have an inquisitive five year old in the house who asks. But then he or she could have asked “Why is the sky blue/” just as easily.

Just the same it is a kind of interesting story. We take so much for granted and we complain about prices without really understanding how much of anything really works or how much effort goes into it. It’s like you flip a switch and the lights come on right. You know the electricity comes across wires and there’s a place that actually makes the stuff and dends it but that’s about all you know. OJ is no different. It grows on a tree, they pick it squeeze it put it in a carton and send it to the store right?

Well it’s a little more involved.

Orange trees blossom October through June in Florida. That doesn’t mean all the oranges bloom at the same time. Some are available early like the Hamlin and some come later like the Valencia. All the different varieties have different tastes and sugar contents and it takes a careful balancing of these fruits to give you a consistent morning OJ.

And guess how these things are picked. Ninety five percent of the Florida oranges are picked by hand using a ladder and a pick sack. Talk about labor intensive. From the pick sack the oranges go into plastic tubs that hold about 900 pounds. A special truck that can negotiate between the trees called a goat picks up the tubs and delivers them to an open bed truck that takes them to the processors.

Once at the processors the state does testing to ensure the fruit meets minimum maturity levels and sorts them out by acidity and sugar levels. These are then stored in bins by their content description which allows for blending later on.

When its time to make the juice the oranges go through a washing process and then the peels are pricked and the oils are extracted. Once that’s done the juice is extracted and sent to a finisher where seeds and pulp are removed. At this point the juice either goes directly through pasteurization for juice that will be sold as “Not From Concentrate” or it will be sent to evaporators where the water will be extracted and the remaining juice frozen for Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice.

From here it goes to the packagers where the FCOJ may be re-hydrated, put in cartons and shipped off to your store.

So the next time you pour a glass of OJ, take a moment and think about all the people, processes and miles involved with that tasty golden juice.

Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves

At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.

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