By Brenda Eubanks Burnette
James S. Crutchfield came into the world on a summer day — July 3, 1874 — in the small farming town of Goshen, Kentucky. His folks, Albert and Hatta, worked the land, and that country know-how ran deep in Crutchfield from the start. He got his schooling in Louisville, then set his sights on Florida in 1891, planning to work alongside his brother, who had a railroad job in Oviedo. But when he showed up, the spot was already taken.
Not one to sit idle, Crutchfield found work with Nelson & Company, an old-timey produce outfit known throughout Florida. This kicked off his lifelong love affair with the fruit business.
In December 1894, Crutchfield was near Deland trying to strike a deal for Captain William Bredow’s orange crop. That’s when the weather turned bitter — three long, freezing days that stopped folks dead in their tracks. A second freeze in February 1895 proved even more devastating, destroying so many trees that it took Florida over a decade to recover.
In response, Crutchfield relocated to Philadelphia to work at a commission house. There, he learned the importance of standardization, improved packaging, efficient transportation and refrigeration — insights that shaped his future endeavors. Seeing potential for an honest and innovative commission house, he and his cousin Robert B. Woolfolk founded the Crutchfield-Woolfolk Company in Pittsburgh in 1896. Their business flourished, forging shipping connections nationwide, particularly with Florida.
The cousins opened their first packinghouse in 1903 in Crescent City, Florida, initiating advancements in fruit preparation and shipment. Their firm became an industry leader in packing techniques — introducing innovations in coloring, washing, sizing, packing and labeling.
Crutchfield’s influence extended to policy, as he worked to revise trading practices and testified before Congress on fair trade in perishable goods. He collaborated with citrus pioneers such as Joshua and Sydney Chase of Chase & Co., and E.P. Porcher and A.B. Michael, helping elevate brands like Deerfield Groves and Wabasso.
From its Pittsburgh base, the Crutchfield-Woolfolk Company launched the Blue Goose trademark, marking one of the earliest efforts to identify branded produce for consumers. In 1919, the company evolved into American Fruit Growers, Inc., where Crutchfield served as president until 1939. Blue Goose became a leading private exchange, offering growers a robust national sales network. This allowed individual growers and cooperatives access to wider markets without maintaining their own sales force. Blue Goose wasn’t just a brand; it was a helping hand to farmers who couldn’t afford their own sales team. Thanks to Crutchfield, their crops made it onto dinner tables far and wide.
A recognized expert in agricultural marketing, Crutchfield served on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, representing all of American agriculture from 1932 to 1940 with the kind of wisdom only a farmer’s son could offer. He passed away in 1954 before being inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 1971. His legacy endures today in the standards and innovations he helped forge across the citrus and produce industries. And the Blue Goose label is still true to the roots he founded over 100 years ago!
Brenda Eubanks Burnette is the former executive director of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame and is currently president of the board of Vero Heritage, Inc., which operates The Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum in Vero Beach, Florida.
Share this Post