The Florida Department of Citrus estimates that more than two million citrus gifts will be ordered from Florida this year, a substantial number of them online. Understanding the process these orders go through from the time the order is placed to the delivery of the fruit will allow you to have a more satisfying customer experience.
Gift fruit is different
Citrus, regardless of variety, grown for the gift business in Florida is different from fruit grown in gardens or small orchards. For appearance’s sake, gift fruit is sprayed several times throughout its growing season with a harmless substance to retard wind scorch, a common Florida condition that in turn damages the fruit. Only the finest fruit from each harvest is then selected to be used as gifts, with the rest sold to other vendors. Also, availability periods for gift-quality fruit are often shorter than fruit grown in the garden or in a small grove due to a quality issue. The earliest and latest periods of each season produce fruit that is pleasantly edible but usually falls short of gift quality. Be sure to check specific availability before ordering.
Everything is in the taste
Gift quality citrus is selected solely for the quality of the eating experience. Shipped fruit must be ripe enough to provide an excellent eating experience within two days to 10 or more days while subjected to an extremely wide range of temperatures in shipment. No matter how selective the shipper is, the success rate is never 100% and that is why reputable companies “guarantee” their fruit by replacing, free of charge, any fruit that fails to withstand shipping tests.
When will it arrive?
To achieve the highest success rate, Florida citrus gift senders must generally maintain a schedule that is based on a weekly cycle. Due to their weight, citrus is expensive to ship. To limit these costs, the quantities must be large, usually trucks. Daily cycles do not provide the required amount, but weekly programs do and most chargers maintain them. That’s why the citrus you order is usually scheduled and confirmed for “The Week of” rather than specific delivery days, unless you’re willing to pay a large premium for expedited shipping.
Orders are accumulated, processed, and scheduled as they are received in a 7-day period, for example, Wednesday through Tuesday. Those orders of the fruit delivered that day from the grove, starting Friday, are then “picked” by the packer based on their destination, and loaded onto a truck designated for that destination point. Immediately after a full truckload is loaded, it is shipped to a geographic center. That center can be a regional post office or truck delivery center. From there, the individual gift packages are delivered by the post office or delivery services. If you place an order after the end of the weekly cycle, your order is held and processed for the next weekly cycle. Most gift senders usually list their order cycles and due dates somewhere in their catalog or on their site.
Get what you want when you want it
To ensure the best possible citrus eating experience for yourself or someone else, order Florida Citrus from a reputable gift fruit shipper, within the designated season for your chosen variety, at least one week prior to the week you want the delivery. Do not hesitate to request the replacement of any fruit that is not up to standard.
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