Welcome to the new Grove Update, a weekly blog and monthly e-newsletter to keep you connected with the finest Indian River oranges and grapefruit in the country. We’re here to keep you up-to-date on the health, status and deliciousness of Hale’s premium citrus products all year long. Our first issue recounts the experience of a first-time visit to one of Hale’s citrus groves.
Like many of us in North America, I grew up drinking orange juice and consuming oranges as part of my daily morning experience. The health benefits were always emphasized as a child, but I never gave thought to whether there were better alternatives to the typical store-bought varieties. Orange juice is orange juice, right? Even as a resident of the great citrus state of Florida for nearly 20 years, my experience with orange groves was limited to the blur of highway speeds as I passed them on I-95 or the Florida Turnpike. I was na?ve to just how delicious oranges and grapefruit could be until I joined the established Hale Groves company in January 2014.
Hale Groves and “premium” citrus
Upon starting at the company I was amazed at the amount of effort involved in producing premium gift citrus. I figured all varieties had to be similar and the industry took a quantity-over-quality approach – produce more product for more money, especially when 95% of Florida oranges and grapefruits are produced for juice and not eating. Instead, I found that quality and detailed care pays off in deliciousness.
Now that I was on the “inside”, I wanted to see where the process all started. I contacted Scott, our Procurement Manager due to his vast knowledge of all things related to oranges, grapefruit, mandarins and any other name given to citrus. Scott is basically our scout for tasty citrus. As we headed off into the groves, my pen never left my notebook as I wrote dozens of pages on root stocks, seasonal varieties, history and growing techniques (all of which we’ll explain in more detail in future Grove Updates).
Scott is our resident expert
Scott is easily one of the nicest and professional people I’ve ever met.
Scott is a traditional, down-to-earth type who takes his work very seriously. Armed with a refractometer, which is a tool to measure the sweet and sour in citrus, and a sharp filet knife for peeling, Scott understands the need to test and measure the quality of our premium citrus in the field before a single orange is shipped. “There’s nothing worse than sour citrus,” Scott exclaimed. “There’s only one way to test and that’s to measure the brix(sugar)-to-acid ratio“. After eating three of the largest and best tasting ruby red grapefruits I had ever eaten, I certainly considered a career change to professional citrus tester!
This delicious, softball-sized ruby red grapefruit was remarkably sweet and juicy.
As we pulled further into the groves, I couldn’t help but take in the freshness – of the air, soil, orange blossoms and earth. Scott explained the cycles of blossoming, growth and harvesting and how tender care was needed to produce the best oranges and best grapefruits in the world. Even watering the trees is thought out as strange space-ship-like water filters eliminate debris and other material from the water supply that could potentially clog up the irrigation.
Not what I thought: These filters do not “purify” the water, but do eliminate unwanted debris from the water supply.
The Indian River soil provides the perfect food for the trees. The clean cross-breeze of Florida air is also welcome while the local bees enjoy the orange blossoms as much as anyone. As the day wore on and endless amounts of citrus knowledge was provided by Scott, I realized why the Indian River region was renowned for growing citrus, even above and beyond other regions in Florida just dozens of miles away. Over the following weeks, I realized that Hale Groves had perfected the art and science of producing the perfect gift from nature.
Orange blossoms smell very similar to jasmine flowers and provide bees with the ingredients to make unique Florida orange blossom honey. Now imagine miles and miles of these blooms filling up the air with a sweet flowery smell!
Don’t forget citrus season is ending soon and these delicious grapefruits will not be available much longer!
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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.
