| About G&S Fruit Packers |
| Marion County, Florida -- "Kingdom of the Sun" |
G&S has the longest history in Gift Fruit Fulfillment in Florida. The company grew out of the famous Marion County, Florida citrus industry that began over 200 years ago. There are good reasons why G&S is located in Weirsdale that are as relevant today as they were when the first boxes of fruit were loaded on a railroad car to be delivered to friends and family around the US. G&S Fruit Packers LLC is the new identity of the business, and the single objective is to maintain the historical philosophy of packing and shipping the finest fruit grown in Florida on behalf of our customers to their gift recipients. The Scales Family's vision is still alive and well. The Marion County Legacy After the Civil War, hardy pioneers began to move south into Florida. When they arrived, they discovered the groves of wild orange trees that were the descendants of the first plantings established by Spaniards in the late 1500's. The Seminoles had collected seeds and planted them in the rich soils in Marion County, and the trees growing on the southeast sides of lakes that received some protection from periodic freezes flourished without cultivation. The pioneers learned how to propagate the trees so they were "true to type", allowing blocks of a single variety to be established. Landowners on the southeast side of Orange Lake, Lake Weir, and Lake Kerr in Marion County established the first commercial scale orange groves by the late 1800's. The fruit was hauled by mule and wagon to packinghouses, and was then transported via steam-powered vessels out through the St. Johns River to northeastern markets, and the Florida Citrus Industry was born with Citra and Weirsdale as the focal points, leading to Marion County's designation as "The Kingdom of the Sun". Citrus trees are almost perfectly adapted to the climate and soils of Marion County. The only problem is from periodic freezes since Marion County is at the farthest northern range of the Florida Citrus area. The Big Freezes of 1894-95 wiped out every grove in Marion County, and many growers moved south. The citrus families in Marion County, though, replanted, and by the 1950's, Marion County was widely recognized for the exceptional quality of the fruit. Subsequent freezes in the 1960's - 80's resulted in the Citrus Industry migration southward, but a few groves in the most protected locations in Weirsdale and Citra in Marion County are still producing the famous Marion County Citrus. The Railroads After the Civil War, northern entrepreneurs built railroad lines to strategic destinations in Florida. Because of the well developed citrus groves and accompanying robust economy, a major line passed through Marion County, with spurs that extended into the citrus areas. The more rapid and reliable transportation to northern markets allowed citrus growers to expand their acreage, and packinghouses sprouted along the rail lines in Citra, Ocklawaha, and Weirsdale. In the early 1900's, a program was established under the name of the "Railroad Express Agency". Visionaries involved with the program forged an association of Florida Citrus Growers with the Railroads and the US Postal Service that allowed individual boxes of fruit to be delivered to the doorsteps of America. The Florida Gift Fruit Industry was born, and G&S Packing Company was one of the early participants in the program. Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association After World War II, the Food Machinery Corporation developed a small fruit washing machine called the "FMC Junior". They leased the machine, so the capital requirements to enter the small family gift fruit business were minimal. This sparked rapid expansion in the Gift Fruit business, and the families joined to form the Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association. By the 1950's, over the road trucks began to replace rail as the preferred form of transportation, so the Association acquired land outside of Orlando and built a terminal for processing packages on behalf of the members, which is still in operation today. Shippers from all over the state send their packages to the Association on shipping days during the season, where the packages are sorted and loaded on trucks for transportation to destinations around the country. The US Post Office, our long time partners in the Gift Fruit industry, still deliver the packages to the final destination. Gift Fruit Fulfillment As the Gift Fruit industry continued to grow, G&S began the first "Fulfillment Program", where businesses around Florida would take orders for Gift Fruit from their customers, and the fulfillment houses would pack and ship the fruit on their behalf. G&S had two advantages. The primary variety shipped each year are Navel Oranges for the holiday period, and Marion County is THE best place to grow Navels in Florida. Navels thrive in the cool winters of Marion County, and they grow with very low cultivation requirements. The second reason is that they were the closest packinghouses to northern destinations, which reduced the delivery time, and the cool weather in the winter helped preserve the quality of the fruit after it was packed. Other local houses provided fulfillment services during this period as well, and at one time all of the fulfillment was provided from Marion County. G&S, and it's sister company The Orange Shop, are the last remaining commercial citrus operations in Marion County. The Future Pete and Cindy Spyke, owners of The Orange Shop in Citra, became involved with G&S in 2013. We understand the legacy of Marion County and the Scales Family, founders of G&S. Over our years of involvement with The Orange Shop, we have learned that the early growers and packers were here for good reasons that are still relevant today. So, our plan is simple -- take advantage of modern technology and transportation, but preserve the growing and packing methods that have proven to be the best for centuries in Marion County. It works, and we are pleased and privileged to be able to join our customers to celebrate each new year. Thanks! Pete and Cindy Spyke |
 |  |
