After 70 years, a Central Florida citrus icon is changing the way it does business.
“We all began working here when we were about 5 years old,” Alinda Lingle said. “I still see my dad sitting at his desk.” His office has not changed much since he last came in.
Alinda Lingle and her older brother Jason let News 6 into Hollieanna Groves on Election Day. Usually, they would be open for business that day, but this year, the family chose to close the Maitland shop.
“The outpouring of support on our social media post when we said we were not going to be open was so sincere.” What nice things people said about us, Alinda said.
There were empty shelves and baskets inside the store that were always full of citrus for people in the neighborhood to buy.
“This building was built around 1947, and our dad joined forces with the owners, Hollie and Anna Oakley, in the early 1950s,” Jason said. “After that, he bought them out in 1954, and we have been running it the same way here for over 70 years.”
Hollieanna Groves stayed the same while Maitland grew.
Jason said, “This is the original equipment that was built and bought for this house in 1947.” He then showed them where they would process their food.
After following their father’s recipe for success for decades, they are now only doing business online because the industry is having trouble and they are getting old enough to retire.
Jason added, “It is really just a matter of logistics and getting the right amount of different kinds of fruit to keep the business going the way it has for all these years.”
Since it began in Florida in 2005, citrus greening disease, a bacterial infection that hurts citrus trees, has been very bad for the business.
David said, “A lot of people said that most of us would be out of business in 10 years.” “We are proud that growers and our industry contacts have helped us get an extra 10 years.”
Matt Joyner, Executive Vice President and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, said that damage from storms has also cut down on the state’s citrus supply.
He said, “We keep getting set back by these storms that are obviously killing trees and cutting down a lot of fruit when winds of 100 miles per hour hit these groves.”
Joyner said that new treatments and tactics are being used to fight citrus greening.
“Over the next five to ten years, we think this industry will continue to recover, with more healthy trees and hopefully more new, young trees,” he said.
That being said, Lingle’s is set on cutting back on its business.
“This is something we have done for a long time, and if we thought it would work better for another 20 or 30 years, I am sure one of our kids would want to carry on the tradition,” Alinda said.
Even though the store is closed, they will still send their goods, such as cakes, gift baskets, marmalades, and more. People can order from them online, over the phone, or through the mail after getting their brochures.
Alinda said, “We are very sure that we will still be able to get lemons fresh from the goodness grove right to your door.”