The Colorful History of Indian River Citrus

Indian River citrus fruit is famous around the world for being the tastiest fruit in the world. That’s because the Indian River area has been used exclusively to grow citrus fruit since the early 17th century, when the area was first settled. Captain Douglas Dummitt, who was looking for a place to settle in Florida with his family to set up a farm and a homestead, was captivated by the smell of the orange trees that were already growing in the area when he first sailed into the district. At that time there were no settlers in the Indian River district, just lots of citrus fruit trees and water. Local legends say that as soon as the Captain found a homestead and got his family settled he went exploring to find the orange trees he first smelled when he came to the area and move them to his farm.

From that point on the Indian River district attracted settlers and citrus farmers who took advantage of the unique weather conditions in the area to grow delicious citrus fruit. The Indian River district is located in a unique section of land that falls just outside the reach of the storms that roll in from the east coast of Florida, but still within the tropical temperature zone that the area is famous for. So the Indian River district gets all the warm tropical weather that citrus fruits thrive in but none of the damaging storms that can roll in with very little notice.

Even before it was easy to transport fresh citrus across the country and around the world people from all over would pay premium prices to get Indian River citrus fruit because of the exceptional taste. People loved it so much that other farmers from areas outside the district started claiming their fruit was Indian River citrus fruit too so that more people would buy it. The farmers of the Indian River district got together and went to the government to stop other farmers from using the Indian River name. The government issued an injunction, which meant that only farmers who owned groves in the Indian River district could claim their fruit was Indian River citrus fruit.

Today the grove owners and farmers in the Indian River district still work together to make sure that only fruit grown in the district is called Indian River fruit. All the grove owners work together as a group and contribute money from their crops to fund a group that promotes Indian River citrus and preserves the history of the area.

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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