The Famous Honeybell Orange

America is one of the world leaders in citrus fruit production. Each year, commercial orchards in four US states-Florida, California, Texas, and Arizona-ship more than ten million tons of citrus fruits. Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, tangerines, and others are sold in America and abroad. When it comes to the citrus industry, no state can compare with Florida.

The Sunshine State is responsible for nearly seventy percent of total citrus fruit production in the United States. As you are undoubtedly aware, Florida is famous for its oranges. They grow more than six million tons of them per annum. But what you may not know is that over ninety-five percent of those oranges are sent directly to processing plants for juicing.

The remainder is sold as fresh fruit, mostly on the US East Coast. Navel oranges are the most popular hand fruit in America. These are the oranges you find in bags in the supermarket or that some folks sell on the side of the road. They are tasty, easy to find, and affordable. But did you know that there are over six hundred other varieties of oranges? In this article we will discuss one of the rarest citrus fruits on earth.

The Honeybell orange is an interesting fruit for several reasons. The first is that it is not technically an orange. The Honeybell is the world’s most famous tangelo. A tangelo is a hybrid fruit, which means that it is a cross between two distinct species, in this case a tangerine and a pomelo. When cultivated in America, most tangelos are created by paring a tangerine with a grapefruit, since the grapefruit is more prevalent in the States.

Few hybrid fruits ever achieve much success. They are really only interesting to scientists and geneticists. Really, who ever heard of the limequat, the grapple, or the lemato? All of them are hybrid fruit that were created in a lab and are rarely grown in the field, let alone sold to consumers. There are a few exceptions. The most popular one is the grapefruit. The second most popular is the tangelo.

Also known as the Minneola Tangelo, the Honeybell orange was created in a lab in Central Florida. When taste tests went well and commercial growers expressed interest in the new fruit, it was released to the public in 1931. Since that time, its reputation has grown, in spite of the fact that the Honeybell orange crop is still quite small.

Farmers would plant more Honeybell trees if they could. The crop can be quite profitable, as annual demand always outpaces supply. But because the Honeybell orange is extremely weather-sensitive, it can only be cultivated in certain parts of the state. To this day, most Honeybells are grown along the Indian River in Florida. The Honeybell is also famous for its brief growing season, which lasts for only a few weeks in January.

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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