CITRA, Fla. — The hum of machinery and the rumble of fruit on the assembly line are familiar sounds to those who work at The Orange Shop, a historic building in the heart of Citra.

What You Need To Know

  • A visit to Orange Shop in Citra offers a peek at history

  • Owners of the shop say the fruit is the most important part of the operation

  • Machinery and production have remained largely unchanged for decades

  • The same family has run the business since it opened

Over the decades that the business has been in operation, the owners have kept the classic machinery and way of packing and shipping gift fruit mostly unchanged, thanks to the family who started The Orange Shop.

“We're third-generation gift fruit shippers and packers,” owner Pete Spyke said. “My sister was in it, my brother was in it and then my parents and grandparents, so we've been packing and shipping for 80 or 90 years."

Spyke has helped to keep the business in the family — his grandfather first opened the H.L. Spyke and Son Fruit Company in South Florida in the 1930s but eventually moved the business to the small town of Citra just before World War II. 

Pete’s father then helped to design and revamp the business’ production flow and machinery with his industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech in the late 1940s, and most of the machinery and operations still serve it well today.

“We just focus on doing a good job and having good fruit, and that's our business plan," Spyke said. "Other than that, we don't want to change a thing, because our customers want it be exactly like it was when they were here last, so when they bring their kids or grandkids they can show them, too.”

The shop is located on U.S. Highway 301, a road that's been used for travelers since before WWII and made famous because of the abundance of citrus groves that populated the area.

Spyke said he hopes visitors to The Orange Shop leave the tiny town of Citra with a better understanding of the history and with some of the most mouthwatering citrus fruits to be found in Florida. 

“We're proud that we're able to continue the legacy of The Orange Shop,” he said. “That's really what our whole career has been about. It's just what we do, and to have people that still support us is really something we are lucky to have and we're happy to do it.”

The Orange Shop is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the shop and any upcoming events, visit its website.