Florida's Natural Growers

Florida's Natural Growers is an agricultural cooperative headquartered in Lake Wales, Florida, and controlled by citrus growers rather than by a publicly traded beverage conglomerate. The organization traces its origins to 1933, when it was established as the Florida Citrus Canners Cooperative to process and market fruit produced by its members. Its early activities included canning juice and grapefruit sections. In 1938, it introduced automated juice extraction, expanding the cooperative's role from fruit handling into industrial beverage production. The cooperative's history reflects major changes in the American orange-juice market. During the Second World War, it produced concentrated orange juice for military use. After the war, frozen concentrate became a prominent consumer format, and by the postwar period roughly 80 percent of the organization's juice output was sold in frozen-concentrate form. Consumer preferences shifted in the 1960s toward ready-to-drink refrigerated juice, reducing the importance of frozen concentrate and encouraging the company to develop chilled juice products. The organization adopted the name Citrus World in 1969 and later changed to Florida's Natural Growers in 1998. Its consumer-facing products are primarily sold under the Florida's Natural name, while its portfolio also includes citrus beverages associated with the Coral Reef Juice Co. and Donald Duck brands. Orange juice remains the central category, complemented by lemonades and other citrus products. The brand differentiates itself through cooperative ownership and traceability. Its marketing presents the company as a grower-led business in which member farms supply and participate in the processing and sale of the fruit. The positioning is expressed through the line “Florida's Natural. Together, from Tree to Table,” which contrasts the cooperative model with large beverage portfolios associated with companies such as Coca-Cola and Tropicana's corporate owners. Historically, Florida's Natural emphasized that its orange juice was made exclusively from fruit grown in the United States by its Florida members, a point that was central to its identity and competitive messaging. That sourcing policy changed in May 2022. Following the change, Florida's Natural products began to include concentrated orange juice from Mexico in addition to fruit supplied through the cooperative's Florida grower network. This represented an important adjustment to the brand's long-standing domestic-sourcing distinction, although the cooperative continued to be based on Florida citrus growers and to present itself as a grower-owned company. The organization also operates a public-facing visitor center known as the Grove House. Opened in 2001 across from the Lake Wales processing plant, the center provides a site for visitors to learn about the cooperative and citrus processing. Florida's Natural Growers therefore combines agricultural membership, citrus processing, branded consumer products, and educational outreach. Its principal market is the United States, where it competes in orange juice and chilled citrus beverages against brands including Simply Orange, Minute Maid, and Tropicana.

Florida's Natural Growers began in 1933 as the Florida Citrus Canners Cooperative, an organization created to help citrus growers process and market their harvest. Its initial business involved canning juice and grapefruit sections for member growers. The cooperative expanded its processing capabilities in 1938, when it began extracting juice with automated machinery. This development moved the organization beyond basic produce handling and established the industrial processing foundation for its later beverage business. World War II created demand for concentrated citrus products, and the cooperative produced concentrated orange juice for military use. In the years after the war, frozen orange-juice concentrate became a widely adopted household product because it offered convenient storage and preparation. The cooperative adapted to this market: by the postwar period, approximately 80 percent of its juice production was in frozen-concentrate form. The market began changing in the 1960s. Consumers increasingly preferred ready-to-drink orange juice, particularly refrigerated juice, while demand for frozen concentrate weakened. This transition required the cooperative to participate more fully in chilled juice production and helped shape the product mix associated with the modern Florida's Natural business. In 1969, the cooperative changed its name to Citrus World. The name Florida's Natural Growers was adopted in 1998, linking the organization more directly with Florida agriculture and its grower-owned structure. The organization is composed of representatives from citrus cooperatives and related grower organizations, including Waverly Growers Cooperative, Lake Placid Cooperative, Ben Hill Griffin Inc., Haines City Citrus Growers Association, Orange Growers Marketing Association, Lake Wales Citrus Growers Association, Hunt Brothers Cooperative, Citrus Marketing Services Inc., Peace River Packing Company, Dundee Citrus Growers Association, Winter Haven Citrus Growers Association, Umatilla Citrus Growers Association, Southern Gardens Citrus, and Lykes. The company opened the Grove House visitor center in 2001. Located across from its processing plant in Lake Wales, the center gave the public a way to learn about the cooperative and its citrus operations. Its visitor schedule has historically included weekday opening hours, with a seasonal closure during much of the summer. Florida's Natural Growers sells citrus products mainly under the Florida's Natural name, while also producing beverages connected with the Coral Reef Juice Co. and Donald Duck brands. Orange juice is the organization's core category, supported by lemonades and other citrus drinks. The brand's marketing emphasizes the relationship between grower members, processing, and finished beverages, summarized by the phrase “Florida's Natural. Together, from Tree to Table.” This cooperative identity has served as its principal distinction from major competitors such as Simply Orange and Minute Maid, both associated with Coca-Cola, and Tropicana, whose ownership structure includes PAI Partners and PepsiCo. For many years, Florida's Natural highlighted the use of only United States-grown fruit, particularly citrus grown by its Florida cooperative members. In May 2022, that policy changed, and the company's products began to include concentrated orange juice from Mexico. The change was a significant development in the brand's sourcing history, but it did not alter the organization's basic cooperative structure or its Florida headquarters. Florida's Natural Growers remains a grower-owned citrus processor and branded juice producer serving primarily the United States market.

• 2022

  Mexican concentrated orange juice enters the product supply

  [1]Florida's Natural Growersen.wikipedia.org

  Starting in May, products begin incorporating concentrated orange juice from Mexico, ending the company's previous United States-only sourcing policy.

• 2001

  Grove House visitor center opens

  [1]Florida's Natural Growersen.wikipedia.org

  A visitor center opens across from the Lake Wales processing plant to present the cooperative and its citrus operations.

• 1998

  Florida's Natural Growers name adopted

  [1]Florida's Natural Growersen.wikipedia.org

  The organization adopts the name Florida's Natural Growers, bringing its grower-owned identity closer to the consumer brand.

• 1969

  The organization adopts the Citrus World name

  [1]Florida's Natural Growersen.wikipedia.org

  The cooperative changes its name from Florida Citrus Canners Cooperative to Citrus World.

• 1938

  Automated juice extraction begins

  [1]Florida's Natural Growersen.wikipedia.org

  The cooperative begins extracting juice with automated equipment, expanding its processing operations.

• 1933

  Florida Citrus Canners Cooperative is founded

  [1]Florida's Natural Growersen.wikipedia.org

  The organization is established as a citrus grower cooperative to can and market juice and grapefruit products for its members.

Grower-owned, Florida-rooted citrus beverage producer emphasizing cooperative ownership, member-grown fruit, and a direct connection from orchard to consumer.

• Orange juice

  Florida's Natural orange juice

  The core consumer product line associated with the cooperative. It includes orange juice sold under the Florida's Natural name and has historically been marketed around Florida grower ownership and a close connection between member orchards and finished juice. Since 2022, the supply may also include concentrated orange juice from Mexico.

• Lemonade and citrus drinks

  Florida's Natural lemonade and citrus beverages

  A broader range of citrus beverages that complements the company's orange-juice business. The portfolio includes lemonades and other citrus drinks positioned under the Florida's Natural brand and aimed primarily at the United States beverage market.

• Juice brand

  Coral Reef Juice Co.

  A citrus beverage brand produced by Florida's Natural Growers. Available information identifies it as part of the organization's branded juice portfolio, although detailed product-level specifications and launch history are not established in the supplied reference material.

• Branded juice drinks

  Donald Duck branded juice drinks

  Juice drinks sold under the Donald Duck brand name and included within Florida's Natural Growers' broader citrus beverage activities. The supplied reference material does not provide a complete account of the specific formulas, pack formats, or distribution history.

• Together, from Tree to Table

  United States

  The brand platform presents Florida's Natural as a cooperative whose member growers remain connected to the processing and sale of the finished beverage. It uses the grower-to-consumer relationship as a point of distinction from juice brands owned by large beverage companies.

  Outcome. The campaign supports the brand's cooperative, agricultural, and traceability positioning; a quantified commercial outcome is not available in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2022

  Sourcing policy expanded beyond United States-grown fruitStrategy

  Background

  Florida's Natural had been distinguished by a policy of using only United States-grown fruit, primarily supplied by its Florida cooperative members.

  Action taken

  Beginning in May 2022, the company incorporated concentrated orange juice from Mexico into its products.

  Aftermath

  The change ended the previous United States-only sourcing position while leaving the cooperative's grower-owned structure and Florida base intact.

  Source

1. 1Florida's Natural Growersen.wikipedia.org