Florida's Natural Growers facts for kids
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| Agricultural cooperative | |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Members | 1100 |
Florida's Natural Growers is a company that makes popular juices, like orange juice and lemonade. It's special because it's an agricultural cooperative. This means it's owned by over 1,100 farmers who grow the fruit! These farmers are called "grower members." Florida's Natural is based in Lake Wales, Florida, in the United States. For a long time, they only used oranges grown by their own farmers in Florida. But since May 2022, they also use some concentrated orange juice from Mexico.
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The History of Florida's Natural Growers
Florida's Natural Growers started a long time ago, in 1933. Back then, it was called Florida Citrus Canners Cooperative. At first, they canned juice and grapefruit for their farmer members. In 1938, they began using machines to get the juice out of the fruit.
Helping During World War II
During World War II, the company helped out. They made special concentrated orange juice for the military. After the war, people really liked frozen juice concentrate. So, 80% of the juice the company made was in this frozen form. It was a new and easy way for families to enjoy orange juice.
Changing with the Times
In the 1960s, people started wanting juice that was ready to drink. They didn't want to mix frozen concentrate anymore. So, sales of frozen juice went down, and sales of chilled, ready-to-drink juice went up. In 1969, the cooperative changed its name to Citrus World. Then, in 1998, they changed it again to their current name, Florida's Natural Growers.
Visiting the Grove House
In 2001, Florida's Natural opened a special place called the "Grove House." It's a visitor's center right across from their juice plant in Lake Wales, Florida. You can visit the Grove House Monday through Friday, from 10 AM to 5 PM. It is closed during the summer months, from Memorial Day until the end of September.
Products and Marketing Strategy
Florida's Natural makes many kinds of citrus juices. Their main products are orange juice and lemonades. They also sell juices under other names, like Coral Reef Juice Co. and Donald Duck brands.
How Florida's Natural is Different
The company's main goal is to show how it's different from other big juice brands. Their main competitors are Simply Orange, Minute Maid, and Tropicana. Florida's Natural uses the slogan "Florida's Natural. Together, from Tree to Table." This shows that their juice comes directly from their farmer members.
Supporting Local Farmers
Simply Orange and Minute Maid are owned by a very large company called Coca-Cola. Tropicana is owned by a company called PAI Partners, with PepsiCo also having a part. But Florida's Natural is owned by the farmers themselves. This means they use citrus grown by their own farmer members in Florida. They also use some concentrated juice from Mexico. Their goal is to give the best possible payment to their farmers. This helps support the citrus growers and their families.
