The Grapefruit Industry in America
The United States is the world's third largest producer of citrus fruit, after Brazil and China. Even more impressively, only four states grow commercial crops–Florida, California, Texas, and Arizona. Citrus growers in these states harvest over 10 million tons of fruit each year. Popular citrus crops include the orange, the grapefruit, the lemon, the lime and the tangerine. But America is the world leader in only one of these crops, the grapefruit. The U.S. produces over 1.5 million tons of grapefruit each year, which is more than one-third of the world supply. Not bad for a fruit that almost didn't make it in America.
When the grapefruit came to Florida in 1823, it received a chilly reception. Fruit lovers who had been raised on sweet oranges were turned off by its sour taste. As the burgeoning orange industry thrived in the Sunshine State, the grapefruit became a minor crop that was not sold commercially. It would take a major change of address for the exotic fruit to find success.
If the grapefruit had not ended up in Texas, it is highly unlikely that America would have much grapefruit industry today. We certainly wouldn't be the world's top producer. Though the fruit took a long time to win over the locals, Texas fruit farmers continued to plant it. Their hard work eventually paid off when they discovered that the grapefruit was prone to mutation.
Although it tasted like the original white grapefruit, the new pink version let farmers know that other varieties were possible. Fruit mutation is a funny thing. A new variety can look and taste completely different from its predecessors. The longer a fruit has been around, the more varieties it is likely to have. One of the world's oldest citrus fruits, the orange, has over 600 distinct varieties. Some of them are bitter and others are super sweet. Grapefruit farmers crossed their proverbial fingers that the next variety would be sweeter than its sour ancestors. The gamble paid off.
In 1929, an orchard owner discovered a red grapefruit growing on a pink grapefruit tree. This was the grapefruit that gave rise to the citrus industry in Texas. With its striking red flesh and sweet taste, the fruit was an instant hit. Farmers called it the Ruby Red, for obvious reasons.
The impact this single discovery had on the grapefruit industry is impossible to overestimate. Before the Ruby Red, the grapefruit was an exotic island fruit that most Americans had never tried. After it, the grapefruit was one of the nation's favorite breakfast foods. Though Florida would eventually regain the lead in grapefruit production, without the hard work and sacrifice of fruit farmers from Texas, the American grapefruit industry might not exist today.
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