MG Citrus, Inc., Your Local Florida Citrus Grove
By Allison Williams
Photos courtesy of Joe Garrison
If you live in Florida, it is likely you have spotted groves on numerous occasions while driving. A new, up and coming citrus site, MG Citrus, Incorporated, is located right in Dundee with plans to produce citrus to distribute all around Polk County. MG Citrus, Inc. specializes in growing the Harvey lemon.
The source of Harvey Lemon comes from Mr. Harvey himself. Harvey Smith, also known as Old Man Harvey founded the lemon back in the 40s and brought it to Clearwater, Florida.
Joe Garrison and Raven Mundy are co-owners of MG Citrus, Inc. They own all the citrus at this location together.
“We have about 50 acres of seedless Harvey lemons and also oranges,” Garrison said. “The groves are still young, but in the future they will become a much bigger crop.”
Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA) picked a few boxes so far this year to run through the packing house, but plan to have many more ready for the market next year.
“The CGA picked a small crop this year and they are preparing for bigger crops for the future,” Garrison said. “They are working out any kinks in the system to bring more lemons to the market next year.”
Steven Callaham is Executive Vice President and CEO of Dundee CGA.
“Dundee Citrus Growers Association is a grower owned cooperative that harvests, packages and markets citrus, peaches and blueberries,” Callaham said. “This season we have added Florida Lemons to our portfolio. The Lemons will be marketed through Florida Classic Growers, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dundee Citrus Growers Association. The fruit will be packed in our Florida Classic label and distributed through various channels, including supermarkets, wholesale markets and food service.”
The Harvey lemon is becoming increasingly popular in Florida. A few benefits to growing the lemon:
- It is disease tolerant.
- It is cold weather tolerant.
- It is suitable to withstand hurricane conditions.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to offer high quality Florida Lemons to our customers,” Callaham said.
Not only are the owners of MG Citrus, Inc. excited about the future for their Florida citrus, but they are also proud to be one of the few with a female grove owner.
Raven Mundy is excited for the opportunity to work with her partner, growing quality Harvey lemons.
“The future looks very promising,” Mundy said. “Joe and I have worked together for many years and the commitment and bond we share makes us a perfect team,” Mundy said. “We work hard each day and hope MG Citrus, Inc. will help the future of our kids and future generations in our families to keep Florida citrus successful.”
