Operations

The journey of an orange to the grocery store always begins with a single tree. Much care goes into producing a single piece of fruit and Peace River Packing is there at every step. It begins with years of nurturing a tree to fruit bearing age, then selecting just the right moment to harvest when the fruit has the perfect combination of sweetness and flavor, and finally ending when we carefully harvest, clean, and protect the citrus fruit before it makes its way to our customers.

Caretaking

Quality fruit comes from careful planning, persistence, experience, and plenty of patience. We believe that a dedicated and professional approach to agriculture is why Peace River has prospered throughout our 80-year history.

Peace River provides professional caretaking services for co-op members and other growers in the Central Florida area. The services we provide are grove development, pesticide and fertilizer application, irrigation management, and general grove maintenance.

Our pest/weed management activities include planning, consulting, monitoring, mixing and application, and record keeping. We work closely with University of Florida IFAS to ensure that our methods of pest/week control are consistent with scientific research, sustainable, and adhere to best practices for our industry.

Harvesting

Picking fruit safely and at peak maturity is critical to deliver the highest quality product to our customers. Unlike bananas or avocados, citrus fruit do not ripen off the tree; instead, the flavor of the fruit is essentially the same as the day it was harvested. To have the best tasting orange, tangerine, or grapefruit, you must pick at season’s peak. This requires a combination of skill, science, and good ole farmer experience!

Packing

Citrus packing is all about protecting the fruit so it arrives to you clean, and as fresh as if you just picked the fruit from the tree. Peace River follows a safe, scientifically sound, and time-tested process for postharvest care of citrus that keeps the fruit fresh and tasty. Our process involves grading, washing, waxing, packing, and refrigeration.

The Packing Process:

  • Grading, Where we remove any fruit that does not meet USDA Grade #1 standards
  • Washing, Gives the fruit a nice appearance and ensures the peel is safe for consumption
  • Waxing, Natural carnauba wax prevents the fruit from drying and prolongs shelf life
  • Packing, Carefully packing the citrus fruit into a bag or carton
  • Refrigeration, Kept at 38° F to lock in the freshness