The story of the Christmas orange and how Florida keeps the tradition alive

DUNDEE, Fla. - Central Florida’s citrus harvests are ripening just in time for the holidays, and Dun-D Citrus Growers — a Polk County cooperative — says it packs more than a million pieces of fruit a day during the season. 

The co-op ships fruit domestically to major U.S. retailers and to export markets. 

"They may be going to South Korea. They may be going to France," Dun-D CEO Steven Callaham told FOX 13.

What we know:

Pickers harvest fruit into 900-pound bins and drive them to the packing house, where oranges and grapefruit go through washing, waxing, camera-guided grading, sorting and packing lines. Fruit that fails inspection is diverted to other uses.

"Those will go feed our local cows," said Dun-DCFO Jennifer Schaal. 

The highest-grade fruit is boxed or bagged to ship as fresh fruit or holiday gift boxes.

The backstory:

The holiday custom of finding fruit in a stocking traces to European lore about St. Nicholas throwing gold into stockings to help poor girls — "balls of gold" that people later likened to round, golden fruit. By the early 1800s, oranges and other citrus were luxury items in Europe. As Florida’s citrus industry expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries, growers and industry promoters tied the fruit to Christmas traditions in the U.S., reinforcing the image of citrus as a wholesome stocking stuffer.

"Balls of gold — if you hold a ball up and think of it like a Christmas ball, it looks kind of like an orange or a grapefruit," Schaal said. 

The practice became part of American holiday lore after the rise of stocking traditions and the wider availability of Florida fruit.

Harvesting begins with crews working miles of groves. Those trees are often grown under large protective tents that exclude pests and diffuse sunlight, helping the fruit mature evenly and retain quality. 

"You just see these amazing trees that look so good. They’re green. They’re lush. They’re big. They’ve got lots of fruit on them. And the fruit looks amazing," Schaal said.

Loaded trucks drop 900-pound bins into the packing house, where fruit moves down conveyor lines and is sprayed, brushed, washed and polished. A light, food-grade wax is applied to help the fruit retain moisture and give it a glossy finish — "that wax helps retain the moisture of the fruit, and it gives it that nice shine," Callaham explained. 

Cameras and sensors grade size and quality; fruit with punctures or bruises is redirected to the juicing line or, as Schaal noted, to feed cattle.

At the end of the line, the best fruit is packed into bags or specialty gift boxes, stacked on pallets and loaded onto trucks bound for stores and customers.

"You’re sending the gift of sunshine to their friends and family that may not have a lot of sunshine in the winter," Callaham said.

Timeline:

The origin story of citrus as a holiday gift dates back centuries in Europe, but key points for modern readers are simple: the St. Nicholas "gold balls" motif predates widespread Florida production; Florida emerged as a major citrus supplier in the 19th century; and today Central Florida groves and packing houses service a global seasonal market, shipping millions of fruit items each winter.

By the numbers:

The figures Dun-D shared on the line: More than 1 million pieces of fruit per day processed during peak season, 900-pound harvesting bins, and a continuous flow of packed boxes headed for domestic chains and international markets.

What they're saying:

"They may be going to South Korea," Callaham said. "They may be going to France… Most major chain stores in the U.S. are purchasing fruit from us."

"If you received a piece of citrus, you knew somebody really was thinking about you," Schaal said.  

She also called walking into the packing house "invigorating" because of the scent of fresh fruit.

Local perspective:

For Florida growers, the holiday season is a critical revenue window and a cultural moment — seasonal gift boxes and stocking fruit have both sentimental and economic value. Dun-D officials say the facility’s tenting systems, careful grading, and packing processes support consistent quality that keep retail partners and gift-box customers returning year after year.