VERO BEACH, Fla. — Florida may still have the orange on its license plates. But if you want to find juice made from 100% Florida-grown oranges, you won't find it anymore under the big brand names.
Florida's Natural is owned by a collective of hundreds of citrus growers in Florida, including some from the Treasure Coast. For decades, its label read, "100% premium Florida orange juice."
Then in May 2022, Florida's Natural dropped the word "Florida" from the premium orange juice label as it said it now blends in orange juice from Mexico and Brazil.
The change made Florida's Natural the last big brand name to blend Florida orange juice with OJ from outside of the Sunshine State.
"The pride level, all those things that we lived with that were so special, had to change a little bit," said Dan Richey, who runs Riverfront Packing in Vero Beach, a company that packs local citrus products and sends them across the United States.
He works with several citrus farmers on the Treasure Coast, including some connected with Florida's Natural.
When the juice maker went from all-Florida grown to a blended, dozens from around the U.S. took to social media to complain even though the company represents Florida Growers.
"It's a concern because, obviously, imported juice doesn't typically have the flavor that Florida does," said Richey, who noted the decision was tough but necessary because Florida just doesn't grow enough oranges.
Florida's Natural declined WPTV's interview request, instead emailing that importing oranges was "a decision that we did not make easily" and that it would "remain committed to our mission of supporting our co-op of Florida growers and their families. Florida oranges are always our first choice."
Florida's Natural is not alone.
Look at the labels of the two best-selling brands in the U.S.
Simply Orange is the second most popular national brand and its label shows the juice adds oranges from California, Mexico and Brazil into its blend.
Tropicana is the nation's best-selling orange juice and its label shows its juice contains oranges from the U.S. and Brazil.
The company announced it stopped making juice from 100% Florida-grown oranges in 2007.
"I've been in the business now 43 years," Richey said.
He blames the decline of 100% Florida orange juice on plant diseases like citrus canker and citrus greening which crippled citrus groves for several years.
"Citrus greening is the granddaddy of all of that," Richey said. "It has definitely caused us to have a real reduction in our production."
Richey said hurricanes and development, where builders replaced citrus groves with housing subdivisions, contribute to the decline.
Those seeking juice from Florida-grown oranges, still have options.
Fort Pierce-based Natalie's and Indian River Citrus continue to distribute 100% Florida-grown orange juice.
They're smaller brands, and when WPTV checked them out, WPTV found them to be 40% to 80% costlier at local grocers.
But does it matter if the largest national brands are no longer 100% Florida-grown?
WPTV sought out longtime orange juice drinkers at the St. Lucie County Seniors Center for a taste test, between a national brand that is a blend of juice from Florida-grown and foreign-grown oranges.
By a 3-2 vote, the 100% Florida grown was deemed better.
On an October morning, WPTV found Richey supervising a staff of men and women packing fresh oranges and grapefruits bound for Chicago, New York and Publix supermarkets across Florida.
He’s finding some hope for the citrus industry's upcoming season.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts a 30% increase in orange production for the next growing season, which would stem a two-decade decline.
Richey hopes this leads to national brands placing a larger percentage of Florida-grown oranges in their blends.
"We probably will never get back to what our peak was for a variety of reasons," he said. "But we will see an increase and, therefore, we will see an increase in Florida orange juice as we go forward."
Citrus Industry Magazine reports that citrus growing still contributes $7 billion to the state's economy and more than $5 billion of that from citrus juices.
