Throughout the ages, the citrus fruit has been a symbol of eternal love, happiness, and even holiness. The Japanese believed citrus blossoms represented chastity, while the Saracens believed it was a symbol of fruitfulness. Kings and queens built entire indoor gardens around citrus; Arab women used its essence to color gray hair; and Nostradamus wrote about how to use its blossoms and fruit to make cosmetics. Hercules so valued it, he stole the golden fruit from Hesperides, who protected it as the primary food of the ancient Roman and Greek gods.

But nowhere on earth, or perhaps even the heavens, has the "golden fruit" held more importance than in Florida, where growing and processing citrus has become a multi-billion dollar industry.

Citrus trees are not native to Florida. The first citrus was brought to the New World in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. The early Spanish explorers, most likely Ponce de Leon, planted the first orange trees around St. Augustine, Florida, sometime between 1513 and 1565. Grapefruit was a relative late-comer, arriving in Florida in 1806 courtesy of the French Count, Odet Philippe, who planted the first grove of grapefruit near Tampa in 1823.

Florida's unique sandy soil and subtropical climate have proven to be ideal for growing the seeds that early settlers planted. By the 19th century, citrus trees could be found growing wild throughout many of Florida's forests, and cultivated orange groves could be found along the St. Johns River and around Tampa.

Over the next 400 years the citrus crop grew and soon after the Civil War Florida's annual commercial citrus production totaled one million boxes; climbing to more than five million boxes by 1893. With the development of improved means of transportation, new markets were opened in the northeastern United States and demand for the refreshing, healthy benefits of Florida citrus started to expand slowly.

The Great Freeze of 1894-95 ruined many of the groves throughout Florida. As a result, growers began to gradually plant groves farther south. Although Florida's citrus industry has encountered more freezing temperatures during the 20th century, the industry has continued to thrive as new groves are planted farther south after each freeze.

Today, there are more than 12,000 Florida citrus growers cultivating approximately 100 million citrus trees on more than 748,000 acres of land. More than 90,000 other people also work in the citrus industry or in related businesses. Today Florida citrus is a $9 billion industry producing more oranges than any other region of the world, except Brazil, and leading the world in grapefruit production.