By Brenda Eubanks Burnette
The citrus industry drew people to Florida with dreams of wealth and retirement, which eventually brought with it substantial economic development from the hardy pioneers who chose to make Florida their home. Their livelihood was widely marketed by not only the citrus packinghouses who sold their fruit, but also by their respective chambers of commerce and tourism partners across the state.
Today, the heart of Florida’s citrus industry is still beating, yet its heyday has made way for real estate investors and housing that has displaced the numerous acres of citrus groves. Few Florida newcomers are aware of the vital role citrus and agriculture once played in shaping the history of the state as a tourist destination and its vital role in the economy of the people who continue to live and work here.
Former U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney once wrote that, “The citrus industry is an essential part of the fabric that makes Florida Florida. Just look around. The background of the state license plate, oranges. The state flower is the orange blossom. The state drink is Florida orange juice. In Florida, citrus is a generation-spanning family business, older than the state itself. Simply put, citrus isn’t just a crop. It’s a way of life.”
Beginning in the 1800s, magazines such as Harper’s Weekly publicized the business of growing citrus in Florida both as a way of life and as a potentially lucrative business opportunity. Early ads and photographs portrayed the healthy lifestyle and benefits of Florida citrus, encouraging the nation to buy Florida citrus to gain the so-called “easy” lifestyle enjoyed by Floridians. As early as the 1930s, ads were touting the health benefits of citrus for colds, a much sought after remedy in the frigid northern states during the dreary cold winter months.
Ads also focused on the holidays — a traditional time for giving that ray of Florida sunshine as a gift. But orange juice concentrate brought a new player to the table by making OJ available all year long. The glamour of travel also entered the mix with the long-time partnership of railroads and citrus — first for transportation of products and then as a tourism ploy bringing visitors to Florida through the very groves from which they bought their citrus!
Gift fruit shippers and roadside stands tended to be motorists’ first impression of Florida and often made for some very interesting stories when they returned home! Roadside stands showcasing fresh Florida citrus were prevalent throughout the state. They often offered u-pick options for the more adventurous, along with numerous oddities only found in the Sunshine State. Packinghouses, such as Waverly Citrus Growers’ Association’s Welcome House, opened their doors to visitors as a means to create customer loyalty.
Outdoor murals featuring citrus are prevalent in several cities throughout the state. Postcards, of course, have traveled around the world promoting the state of Florida and its golden promise of warmth, vitality and youth. Many postcards featured orange blossoms and poetic prose on the beauty of the state’s No. 1 agricultural industry.
Florida citrus made quite a splash across the world, marketing a healthy lifestyle and promoting the state as the sunshine capital of the world, rich in rewards for those who visited and even more for those who chose to make Florida their home. So, raise your glass and toast the Florida citrus industry for selling sunshine!
Brenda Eubanks Burnette is executive director of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Pieces of the Past is presented in partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center in Lakeland.
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