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About Us
The Orange Shop
18545 US Highway 301
P.O. Box 125
Citra, Florida 32113
800-672-6439
info@floridaorangeshop.com
Store Hours: 8-5 Seven days a week, October 15 - June 1
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Easter
1936
That's the year The Orange Shop opened for business. Before World War II, people started traveling down to
Florida on U.S. Highway 301, passing through the small village of Citra - long famous for the citrus that grew
there. Citrus had been grown commercially in our grove in Citra since the Civil War, so it just seemed natural
to offer it to travelers.
The Orange Shop has been open for business every fruit season since then. Our formula for success is
unchanged -- we cultivate our citrus trees with tender loving care, hand harvest the fruit, pack them in bags or
gift boxes for our customers, and provide friendly, helpful service. Technology has allowed us to broaden our
relationship with customers, but the core mission of The Orange Shop hasn't changed at all for 70 years.
What's Our Secret? Just Plain Old Hard Work, with a History!
Pete and Cindy Spyke, owners of The Shop, are third-generation citrus growers with a passion for growing
really good citrus using environmentally responsible growing systems. We have a strong legacy in the
business. Pete's Mom, always trying to unload clutter, recently gave us a copy of a paper written by Pete's Dad,
Harry H. Spyke, in 1949 for a project when he was studying Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech. It was a
design of the plant layout of a gift fruit shipping business for an expansion planned by his Dad, Harry L. Spyke,
and it must have been pretty good because he got an "A". That was down in Ft. Lauderdale, and the name of
the business was H.L Spyke and Son Fruit Company.
It was very interesting, because we still use almost the exact same machinery setup at The Orange Shop
today! In fact, when reading the paper, we realized that he had some pretty good ideas that we could use to
improve things. Even though Harry hasn't been with us for almost 30 years, and the paper was written 65 years
ago, we realized that Dad's still coaching us on how to do better. We think that's really great, and will always
feel like we have big shoes to fill. Every day we try to live up to the traditions of The Orange Shop, and our
family. You can see an excerpt of Harry's definitive work on the design of a gift fruit shipping business here.
Our Fruit is The Best of the Best.
The Shop's fruit comes from the two best fresh fruit growing areas in Florida -- beautiful Marion County, and the
Indian River area. Florida citrus always has more juice and sugar due to the warm summer nights. There are
microclimates, however, where the usual Florida quality reaches even higher levels. That's where Pete and
Cindy have selected land for growing Orange Shop fruit.
Citra Navels: Navel Oranges grow and produce the best when the winter temperatures are cool, without
dropping so low that the trees are damaged. Our groves in Marion County are located at the farthest northern
point of the citrus growing area of Florida. Besides wonderful soil, this area has cooler weather in the Fall that
is perfect for the production of the highest quality Navel Oranges in the world.
Indian River Grapefruit and Specialty Varieties: We grow our grapefruit in the oldest production area of
Florida's Indian River, where warm ocean breezes help sweeten the fruit -- perfect for the production of
high-quality grapefruit that is again the best in the world. Our groves near Ft. Pierce were first planted in the
early 1900's on the rich soil along Ten Mile Creek. We have been working these groves for three generations,
and we utilize the latest information and technology along with traditional practices to achieve the highest
possible quality. It's also where we grow our delicious specialty and Spring Connoiseur varieties such as
Honeybells, Temples and Tangerines. See more about the Indian River Secret Here....
We Are Committed To Excellence: The Orange Shop is a very real small operation - unlike the
mega-shippers and storefronts on the Web. The entire Town of Citra supports the business, and many have
been working at The Shop for decades. Fletcher Kelly has been with The Orange Shop for 55 years, and
provides leadership every day to make sure that the fruit you receive is the best. The rest of the folks in our
small group are inspiring as well -- they are completely devoted to the goal of providing you with the very best
fruit, gifts, and service. It's truly a privilege and honor for us to work with them every day.
When you order from The Shop, or stop by on US Highway 301, you can be assured that you've made a good
choice. We take pride in our history, the quality of our fruit, and in the friendly service that is our hallmark.
Thanks for Shopping With Us
Pete and Cindy Spyke
The Orange Shop
18545 US Highway 301
P.O. Box 125
Citra, Florida 32113
800-672-6439
info@floridaorangeshop.com
Store Hours: 8-5 Seven days a week, October 15 - June 1
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Easter
1936
That's the year The Orange Shop opened for business. Before World War II, people started traveling down to
Florida on U.S. Highway 301, passing through the small village of Citra - long famous for the citrus that grew
there. Citrus had been grown commercially in our grove in Citra since the Civil War, so it just seemed natural
to offer it to travelers.
The Orange Shop has been open for business every fruit season since then. Our formula for success is
unchanged -- we cultivate our citrus trees with tender loving care, hand harvest the fruit, pack them in bags or
gift boxes for our customers, and provide friendly, helpful service. Technology has allowed us to broaden our
relationship with customers, but the core mission of The Orange Shop hasn't changed at all for 70 years.
What's Our Secret? Just Plain Old Hard Work, with a History!
Pete and Cindy Spyke, owners of The Shop, are third-generation citrus growers with a passion for growing
really good citrus using environmentally responsible growing systems. We have a strong legacy in the
business. Pete's Mom, always trying to unload clutter, recently gave us a copy of a paper written by Pete's Dad,
Harry H. Spyke, in 1949 for a project when he was studying Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech. It was a
design of the plant layout of a gift fruit shipping business for an expansion planned by his Dad, Harry L. Spyke,
and it must have been pretty good because he got an "A". That was down in Ft. Lauderdale, and the name of
the business was H.L Spyke and Son Fruit Company.
It was very interesting, because we still use almost the exact same machinery setup at The Orange Shop
today! In fact, when reading the paper, we realized that he had some pretty good ideas that we could use to
improve things. Even though Harry hasn't been with us for almost 30 years, and the paper was written 65 years
ago, we realized that Dad's still coaching us on how to do better. We think that's really great, and will always
feel like we have big shoes to fill. Every day we try to live up to the traditions of The Orange Shop, and our
family. You can see an excerpt of Harry's definitive work on the design of a gift fruit shipping business here.
Our Fruit is The Best of the Best.
The Shop's fruit comes from the two best fresh fruit growing areas in Florida -- beautiful Marion County, and the
Indian River area. Florida citrus always has more juice and sugar due to the warm summer nights. There are
microclimates, however, where the usual Florida quality reaches even higher levels. That's where Pete and
Cindy have selected land for growing Orange Shop fruit.
Citra Navels: Navel Oranges grow and produce the best when the winter temperatures are cool, without
dropping so low that the trees are damaged. Our groves in Marion County are located at the farthest northern
point of the citrus growing area of Florida. Besides wonderful soil, this area has cooler weather in the Fall that
is perfect for the production of the highest quality Navel Oranges in the world.
Indian River Grapefruit and Specialty Varieties: We grow our grapefruit in the oldest production area of
Florida's Indian River, where warm ocean breezes help sweeten the fruit -- perfect for the production of
high-quality grapefruit that is again the best in the world. Our groves near Ft. Pierce were first planted in the
early 1900's on the rich soil along Ten Mile Creek. We have been working these groves for three generations,
and we utilize the latest information and technology along with traditional practices to achieve the highest
possible quality. It's also where we grow our delicious specialty and Spring Connoiseur varieties such as
Honeybells, Temples and Tangerines. See more about the Indian River Secret Here....
We Are Committed To Excellence: The Orange Shop is a very real small operation - unlike the
mega-shippers and storefronts on the Web. The entire Town of Citra supports the business, and many have
been working at The Shop for decades. Fletcher Kelly has been with The Orange Shop for 55 years, and
provides leadership every day to make sure that the fruit you receive is the best. The rest of the folks in our
small group are inspiring as well -- they are completely devoted to the goal of providing you with the very best
fruit, gifts, and service. It's truly a privilege and honor for us to work with them every day.
When you order from The Shop, or stop by on US Highway 301, you can be assured that you've made a good
choice. We take pride in our history, the quality of our fruit, and in the friendly service that is our hallmark.
Thanks for Shopping With Us
Pete and Cindy Spyke
