Reviews for: The Orange Shop

Quality of The Orange Shop grapefruit has declined sadly over the years. Not what it used to be just a few short years ago. Lackluster customer service. Had to dispute the charge with our credit card company since the customer service had no consistent follow-up. Ordering now from more reputable fruit companies & we can see the improved service/quality. We will gladly pay more for much better product.

Ann, we certainly apologize for your experience with The Orange Shop. I'm not sure at this point what went wrong, but we're definitely open to discussing ways to make this right for you. Best place to reply is via email on Local Harvest if that's where you placed your original order. Many thanks. Pete Spyke Owner

Pete Spyke says: (Mar 28, 2016) Victoria, We always appreciate feedback and reviews of our products. I have a couple of comments, but first let me say that we have a 100% arrival guarantee, and it sounds like the delicate Honeybells had some issues in transit. Our last picking of the year will be tomorrow, and I've scheduled another tray to be shipped out to you. General comments -- in Florida citrus, peel color is not an indication of ripeness. If the winter is warm, quite often the fruit from certain positions on the tree retain a green color. Citrus does not "ripen" like peaches or bananas -- the amount of sugar, which imparts sweetness, is a function of time since bloom, not peel color. We don't manipulate the peel color as do commercial shippers, so some of the fruit may have green in the peel, and some won't, even from the same tree. As far as grapefruit, there are a number of varieties of "red" grapefruit, and some have more blush on the peel or color in the flesh than others. None of the grapefruit we ship are white varieties. Last comment -- if for any reason someone needs to talk about their fruit, it works much better to contact us directly. We do monitor these reviews, but a direct message will receive a faster, and more personalized, response. Thanks again. Pete Spyke

Victoria, We always appreciate feedback and reviews of our products. I have a couple of comments, but first let me say that we have a 100% arrival guarantee, and it sounds like the delicate Honeybells had some issues in transit. Our last picking of the year will be tomorrow, and I've scheduled another tray to be shipped out to you. General comments -- in Florida citrus, peel color is not an indication of ripeness. If the winter is warm, quite often the fruit from certain positions on the tree retain a green color. Citrus does not "ripen" like peaches or bananas -- the amount of sugar, which imparts sweetness, is a function of time since bloom, not peel color. We don't manipulate the peel color as do commercial shippers, so some of the fruit may have green in the peel, and some won't, even from the same tree. As far as grapefruit, there are a number of varieties of "red" grapefruit, and some have more blush on the peel or color in the flesh than others. None of the grapefruit we ship are white varieties. Last comment -- if for any reason someone needs to talk about their fruit, it works much better to contact us directly. We do monitor these reviews, but a direct message will receive a faster, and more personalized, response. Thanks again. Pete Spyke

Thanks for posting your comment. We read each one carefully. We explained in our listing that, unlike regular on-line stores, when you place an order, our "product" is hanging on a tree in a grove. We don't store the fruit prior to shipment -- we pick it off the tree, wash it, and pack it in a box. Then, of course, it takes a few days to deliver by ground transportation because our boxes are heavy with juicy fruit. We do realize that people are anxious and in this day and age expect fast delivery, but we just don't do that. However, a significant part of this post is that the writer couldn't learn this information by talking with us. We realized that our phone number was only posted in our store listing, so I've added it to the store page where hopefully it's more noticeable. And, it would be interesting to know the email address you used when trying to contact The Shop. So, we apologize for your experience and hope your fruit arrive in good condition, and appreciate your feedback. Pete Spyke

Thanks for posting your comment. We read each one carefully. We explained in our listing that, unlike regular on-line stores, when you place an order, our "product" is hanging on a tree in a grove. We don't store the fruit prior to shipment -- we pick it off the tree, wash it, and pack it in a box. Then, of course, it takes a few days to deliver by ground transportation because our boxes are heavy with juicy fruit. We do realize that people are anxious and in this day and age expect fast delivery, but we just don't do that. However, a significant part of this post is that the writer couldn't learn this information by talking with us. We realized that our phone number was only posted in our store listing, so I've added it to the store page where hopefully it's more noticeable. And, it would be interesting to know the email address you used when trying to contact The Shop. So, we apologize for your experience and hope your fruit arrive in good condition, and appreciate your feedback. Pete Spyke

Thanks for the wonderful review! The Orange Shop.

A note on shipping -- we ship our fruit in a special way. We are members of the Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association, which is a cooperative owned by the individual gift fruit companies. On certain days, we all pack packages going to certain zip codes, transport the packages to our terminal in Orlando where we then load insulated trucks headed to the different destinations within that area. There's basically four different groups of zip codes, plus Canada. The intention is to get the fruit to you faster, and to protect it from freezing. We drop the fruit off at the Post Office, which makes the final delivery. So, it's not unusual for the packages in a single order to arrive on different days, while the outcome is that we can ship perishable fruit into the teeth of cold winter temperatures with a high rate of success. This method is unique in the shipping industry, and predates Fedex and UPS by about 30 years. The Orange Shop

This review is from Jenny Hitchens, not Vicki Macy...Vicki is my sister and she received her honeybells. I have not received mine.

LaRue, Thanks for your comment. We always welcome feedback. As a note, all of our fruit is 100% guaranteed. All you have to do is send an email -- there's a place to do that on the Local Harvest Store -- and we will immediately ship a replacement for any fruit that does not arrive in perfect condition. All the fruit is in good condition when it leaves our packinghouse. We don't have control over what happens during the delivery process, though. Sometimes delays or rough handling can damage some, or even all, the fruit. Since it is perishable, damaged fruit decays rapidly. It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen, but we stand behind our products regardless of the cause. If something like this occurs, by the way, the email is a better way to let us know than a review, because we don't always know there's a post on the reviews, and you may not know we replied. With email, we find out right away and can reply directly to you. Many thanks! Pete Spyke, Owner

Thanks, Jessica. We "follow" the grapefruit maturity through the season. We start picking way down in Immokalee in the deep southwest part of Florida early in the season, and end up in Marion County, the farthest north tip of the Florida citrus area, by the springtime. The goal is to always provide grapefruit with the characteristic flavor, which is slightly tart, yet full of sugar. No other shipper in Florida (or the world, for that matter) follows that protocol -- if their grapefruit are in southern Florida, the flavor is good early, but by the end of the season is flat in uninteresting. If they have North Florida grapefruit, the flavor in November is so sour that you might as well buy California fruit, but the fruit retains enough acid in April-May that they still have that flowery, tart grapefruit flavor. The Orange Shop goes to great lengths to supply only the best tasting fruit all season, even if it means slight compromises in external appearance. The oranges you received were Valencia, which is indeed the quintessential "Orange". There are more Valencias planted world wide than any other single citrus variety. Thanks again! Pete

Lory, Many thanks for your review. I just wanted to clear up the point about the fungicides. We do apply a wax to the fruit, which is necessary to prevent water loss after it has been removed from the tree. The wax is food grade, and is harmless. If we don't have some kind of coating, the fruit would turn soft very quickly, and wouldn't store very long. In the wax, we dissolve a very small amount of material that retards mold. It has no effect on people in any way, and is only on the surface of the fruit -- it doesn't penetrate the skin at all. So, there isn't anything harmful applied to the fruit, either before or after harvest. That's only one reason why we've received so many environmental awards, and go to great lengths to assure our customers that our fruit does not have negative consequences of any kind. Hope you enjoy yours! Pete

Christopher, Thanks very much for your kind review. On the matter of seeds, some of the varieties we ship do have them. We specialize in heirloom varieties that have been around long before lower-seeded varieties were developed. In most cases, the newer varieties were selected for a low seed count and shipping characteristics, but the flavors of the more traditional varieties are very distinctive and unique. The only way to enjoy those flavor experiences is to overlook the seeds, and I guess we've personally been eating citrus so long that we don't even notice them. We do work closely with the University of Florida and the USDA in new variety development, and one of the desirable characteristics is low seed count, but our guiding principle is that if a new variety can't compete with the flavor of Page, Temples, and Honey Tangerines, it probably won't find it's way into the catalog of The Orange Shop because we're all about flavor. Incidentally, the California "Cuties" come from trees that have had giant nets placed over them during bloom so the bees can't cross-pollinate the flowers. The varieties they use are self-incompatible, so don't produce seeds unless they're pollinated by another variety. In Florida, Orange Blossom Honey is an important industry, and one of our best sellers, so we encourage bees in the groves, and are careful that we don't do anything to harm them. The result is some of the best honey you'll ever taste -- and seeds in the fruit. So, many of our varieties do have seeds, but some of the alternatives are just unacceptable to us. A quick story about seeds -- at our Citra Orange Affair (the town's annual citrus festival) one year, we challenged the kids to a "seed spitting contest". One tow-headed little 11 year old launched a Fallglo seed an amazing 37 feet -- a record that's never been broken to our knowledge! Thanks. Pete

Thanks, Thomas. We always appreciate hearing from everyone about their fruit, and experience with The Orange Shop. One thing might be good to mention here, as Thomas discovered. Of the many hundreds of packages we've shipped through Local Harvest in the last 30 days, a few did have problems, more so in January because of hot weather here in Florida and extremely cold weather up north. We always replace any fruit that doesn't arrive in perfect condition, and since citrus is much more perishable than apples or pears, it can and does unfortunately happen, although of course in most cases everything goes smoothly. The point I'd like to make is that if someone receives a box with damaged fruit, while we understand that posting a review is important and certainly welcomed, the reviewer's information is anonymous, so we can't respond to the issue. There is also an option to send an email or comment on our store through Local Harvest, both of which allow us to reply directly to the sender. The easier it is to converse directly with a responder, the faster we can solve the problem. This is especially important as the maturity period for each variety nears an end for the season -- if we don't respond quickly, we may not be able to replace damaged fruit with the same variety. In this particular case, Thomas apparently responded first via email or comment rather than a review, so we were able to rapidly ship out a replacement and he could enjoy all the fruit he ordered of the original variety. His review triggered that thought in my mind, so was a good opportunity to make this observation. Many thanks! Pete

Many thanks, Sarah. That's the kind of report we like to hear. We go to great lengths to see that our ultra-perishable fruit arrives in good condition. The vast majority of the packages do arrive without any incident whatsoever -- including all the way to Alaska. Occasionally, problems occur, and often they're not pretty, which triggers an emotional response that's completely understandable because everyone's expectations of us are so high. Our expectations of us are even higher, though, so when problems occur, we always make them right. That's the only way we can go about shipping the rare, delicate citrus varieties that are often only available from The Orange Shop. Other shippers are scared of bad reviews, so they stick with the sure things, but what fun is that? We like to take the risks that are necessary to provide wonderful heirloom varieties, and push the seasons to allow the fruit to attain the exceptional flavors that occur even though the shipping ability might not be as favorable as earlier in the season, but that's who we are, and what we do. You are correct that everyone who had an issue did eventually receive exactly what they ordered, with a few extra fruit included to compensate them for the negative experience of receiving a box of fruit that was not in perfect condition. We appreciate the time and effort that you devoted to your review, and hope your family continues to enjoy the fruit. I've been to South Africa, and they grow some great citrus down there, so that's high praise coming from your husband. Thanks! Pete

Kim, thanks for posting your review. I picked up three points -- there were blemishes on the fruit, they looked bruised, and despite appearances, they tasted good. In regards to the blemishes, Honeybells are susceptible to a number of causes of blemishes, and to prevent them, people apply up to 12 sprays a year. However, we believe in a low-intensity approach that relies on natural preventions of problems rather than spraying a lot. Usually, it works OK and the fruit turns out to be very nice. In some cases, more often with Honeybells than others, there will be periods of imbalances in the ecosystem, and blemishes can occur. If we throw all that fruit away, the energy and other inputs required to produce a crop would be wasted. So, in that case, we grade out only the worst fruit, and if the remainder is sound and good tasting, albeit a bit more blemished than we'd like, we ship them. Most of our customers understand this, and appreciate the philosophy we use, but occasionally someone who is expecting the perfect fruit that is a consequence of intense pesticide use and heavy grading, they can be disappointed when they open a box and find blemished fruit. We certainly apologize if we haven't made all this clear -- there is a discussion on Local Harvest that explains our approach that can seem like a lot of "fine print" -- and hope that the flavor and juiciness of the fruit helped offset any impression as to the appearance. In regards to the bruising, this is of more concern. We harvest and ship immediately, and every fruit is perfectly good when it leaves our packinghouse -- it is rare that the time interval between harvest and shipping is more than 48 hours. So, if the fruit appeared to be bruised, it was a consequence of rough handling during the shipping process by Fedex or the Post Office. We will look into your shipment to see what happened, because it's important to us that the fruit is handled carefully. In the meantime, if any of the fruit you received was beyond salvage, be sure to let us know so we can send a replacement for any that are lost -- which is our 100% arrival guarantee. Many thanks.

Lynette, Thank you very much for letting us know that your fruit did not arrive in perfect condition. As is noted on our Local Harvest store, all of our fruit has a 100% arrival guarantee, so if there's any problem, we will ship a replacement for any that did not arrive in good condition regardless of the cause. The past two weeks have been brutal on fruit arrivals. We pick when the fruit is at peak ripeness, rather than harvest them before their prime to improve the shipping ability. It was in the 80's down here, and cold as the dickens up country, so as the boxes moved in and out of warm and cold conditions during delivery, a lot of moisture built up. If the box was handled roughly and the fruit bruised even a tiny bit, we saw a lot of very rapid decay. It's all good when it leaves the packinghouse, of course. Fruit this ripe is highly perishable, but to us it's worth the risk to get the exceptional flavor. We will ship you a generous replacement for those that didn't make it because we want you to enjoy every piece of fruit we promised you. Many thanks. Pete Spyke

LK, Thank you very much for letting us know that all of the fruit you received did not arrive in perfect condition. It's all firm and fresh when it leaves the packinghouse, of course, but it is highly perishable, so rough handling, shipping delays, and the recent extreme weather can result in damage, in which case decay can occur very rapidly -- overnight in some cases. However, we have a 100% arrival guarantee, so any fruit that doesn't arrive in perfect condition, regardless of cause, will be replaced, because we want you to enjoy all the fruit you purchased from us. If you will provide us with your name or email address, we will be happy to send the replacement to you. Many thanks. Pete

Julie, Thank you very much for letting us know that some of your Honeybells didn't arrive in perfect condition. It's been a rough patch for fruit arrivals over the past couple of weeks, and other fruit shippers are reporting the same results. All the fruit is firm and fresh when it leaves the packinghouse, but Honeybells are highly perishable, and the least little bit of rough handling will bruise them. If that happens, decay can begin and will proceed very fast. We guarantee all arrivals 100%, though, regardless of cause, so we have scheduled a replacement for the fruit that wasn't good to go out on our next truck to Texas on 2/8. Many thanks, and we hope you enjoy your fruit! Pete

Leigh, Thank you very much for contacting The Orange Shop. We're very sorry to hear that all of the fruit you ordered did not arrive in perfect condition. In reading your report, the part about the box looking "beat up" and the fruit having popped out of the foam protection leads me to believe that somewhere in the delivery process, the box may have been dropped or handled roughly. Much of the fruit we ship is very delicate, which is why the commercial packers won't touch them. We take the risk, though, because the flavors and quality of the rare heirloom varieties are so outstanding. The downside is that they are also highly perishable, and if anything goes wrong during shipment, there can be problems. All the fruit is firm and fresh when it leaves the packinghouse, and the boxes are pristine. So, usually the shipping issues are related to rough handling or delays during shipment, over which we have no control. However, we do have a 100% arrival guarantee, so any fruit that doesn't make it in good condition will always be replaced, regardless of the cause. Your replacement has been scheduled for our 2/1 ship date, so you should see it late the following week. Hope they arrive in good condition, and that you enjoy the fruit. Many thanks. Pete

Thanks, Jennifer. We should have Pages for another few weeks. As far as customer service, we had a fellow named Fletcher Kelly who started working at The Shop the year I was born, 1951, who we sadly lost this summer at a ripe old age after having worked up through last season. Fletcher was a very wise person, and we listened closely to every snippet of advice he gave us. Fletcher's favorite saying to customers still governs our attitudes and approach -- "This is your place, we just take care of it for you". Even though he's not running the fruit washing machine for the first time in 61 years, Fletcher's philosophy keeps us focused on what's important, as he always said, "every day". Pete

Thank you for the tip for specifying preferred size of fruit. I think I'm going to do just that and order another bushel. And I want to say that I really appreciate your dedication to your customer's satisfaction.

Thanks, Jennifer, for your comments. It's always good to hear from our customers. The fruit does vary from year to year, although generally if they're coming off the same trees, they won't be very different. Now, there are differences between big and small fruit, and in general this year's Page crop has a bit larger fruit than last year. Since the larger fruit also tend to have more seeds, it sounds like the main difference between this and last year would be attributable to the size of the fruit. The smaller fruit of any variety also tends to have more sugar and a higher juice content, which would be noticeable if you are squeezing them. So, as a hint, when checking out, there's a comment box. Just specify that you prefer the smaller size fruit, and that's what we'll send. Otherwise, we usually send a mixture of sizes, because preferences vary. Many thanks! Pete

Pete and Cindy, I have to comment here and say that I agree with this customer's experience, at least in regards to 2011 (not scheduled deliveries) being of better quality than my 2012 scheduled deliveries. Perhaps just a coincidence. Below is my experience: My first order of Pages oranges in 2011 were absolutely incredible. Because of this, I took advantage of the last year pricing and scheduled a whole bushel to be delivered for both Nov. & Dec. The oranges looked the same though I will say a good portion were slightly larger than I remembered. Personally, I did not buy these to peel and eat, only for juicing as I have dubbed the juice these produce as Nectar from Heaven. I, too, was just a bit disappointed in the quality of the 2012 harvest. As you noted, the larger oranges did have more seeds in comparison to the smaller ones, but overall I think this harvest had more seeds than 2011. I did have a handful of small ones that had no seeds and it was the juice from these that produced the heavenly thick nectar that I had been craving for over a year. Now, typically I do not strain the pulp out of my juice, but for the Pages I make an exception because it distracts from the nectar's thick mouth feel. With that said, this harvest produced a pulpier juice than I remember from last year. Once strained, the juice and sweetness from these oranges can be so thick that it's almost like a concentrate that you dilute with water. In fact, for my 3-year old, I do this because the fruit sugars really get her buzzing since sugar is not a part of her regular diet. Also, when I'm getting low, I dilute with water to stretch it out. Really the taste is still quite orange-y and satisfying. Despite the seeds and pulp, overall, I would say I was satisfied and I will order them again. I just wanted to comment to say that my experience was similar to the original poster. It's hard get consistent harvests and flavors when the weather is as erratic as it has been. I find that oranges taste better after a cold-snap and/or REAL winter weather for a couple of weeks. And we're just not getting that in Florida. 80 degrees in January, anybody?

Thanks very much for your comments about the Page Oranges you received this year. We listen carefully to everything our customers have to say. I have to say, though, that we are a bit puzzled. The Pages this year are coming from the exact same trees as last year. Even the same rows. We haven't noticed a significant difference in the flavor. The seed count is related to the fruit size -- smaller fruit have fewer seeds -- but a lot of people like the larger fruit so it's a tradeoff. The only thing I can figure is that you may have received a mispack -- your comment about not being sure they were Pages makes me suspicious that you may have received a combo pack with another variety. It doesn't happen often, but it can occur in the busy packinghouse if someone loses concentration. I would suggest that we ship you another box of Pages to see if that might be the case. Hopefully you'll notice this comment and let us know your shipping information. As far as next year, we hope to have Pages again, too. We introduced them as Gift Fruit, and have been the exclusive shipper. After our success, though, there may be others out there with limited quantities from time to time. Please get back, though, so we can sort this issue out and make it right for you. Many thanks! Pete

Tammy, Thank you very much for your post. The package you received today was actually a replacement for the first one that we shipped in December, but was lost in transit (by Fedex, not The Orange Shop). Shipping to citrus producing states is a bit more complex, and normally we have good success, although the schedule is restricted around the Holidays, so your replacement went out on the first truck in January. We're very sorry to hear that all the fruit did not arrive in perfect condition in this shipment, and will immediately send a #6 replacement box to make up for the one that didn't make it OK. I'll send Pages -- which you can't get in Texas, or even anywhere else in Florida! We appreciate your business, and will always do whatever is necessary to make your experience with us turn out well. Pete.

I received my package today. There was an orange completely engulfed in mold, but everything else seems okay. I'm not a completely satisfied customer but I am glad to receive my citrus. From now on, I'll probably just buy Texas citrus. Thanks, Tammy.

The Orange Shop owners did write to apologize for the human error that resulted in the delayed shipment. They also sent an additional shipment to make with a note to the family who was to receive our gift, explaining why it was so late. I appreciate their attentiveness and willingness to go above and beyond to correct the error.

Mr. Dunkelberg, as my wife Cindy responded in a separate email, we deeply apologize for the late arrival of your gift. We have to download all the Local Harvest orders and enter them into our shipping software manually. The person who entered your order was Dick, a very competent and experienced person -- he has owned his own businesses in the past. As it turns out, when he entered your order, he missed typing the "2" in the delivery month, so instead of "12", it was "1", or January, and your package didn't ship before Christmas. When we learned that your recipient didn't receive their gift, we shipped the package the very next Fedex pickup day, which was the 3rd, and it should arrive shortly. Cindy also let you know earlier that we made the choice to schedule a second delivery to your recipient with an upgrade to your original order, and a personal note of apology from us explaining that the late delivery was due to our mistake, and that you had ordered the gift in plenty of time for Christmas. We understand how important it is to represent our customers well with their gift recipients, and our goal is always 100% perfection because that's what you should expect. Unfortunately, in spite of our best effort, with a very small percentage of the total packages we ship, there are problems. Someone like Dick can miss a keystroke, there can be delivery snafus, or any one of many other causes. When things go wrong, we understand that the emotional issues are at the forefront because the desire is to receive a glowing, happy report from your gift recipient. We didn't achieve that for you, and we sincerely apologize. I wish I could go back and hit that "2", but since I can't, we will do everything we can to make it right, so if there's anything further we can do, please just let us know. And, of course, we certainly respect your right to make choices about your gifting in the future. Many thanks. Pete

Judy, Thanks for the report, and glad to hear that you're enjoying the fruit. We will ship you a 6-pack replacement for the orange that didn't arrive in perfect condition. Thanks for letting us know. Pete

We hadn't seen your comments (yet), Pete ... and fell over with surprise when we received oranges today! Wow. We never expected a replacement, and thank you. Your explanation is wonderful - shows how not only do you excel at customer service, You Know Oranges! Good ... because we pledge that the only oranges we'll eat or serve in our house come from The Orange Shop!. Many many thanks!!!

Ian, Thanks very much for taking the time to post a review. First of all, every shipment is guaranteed, so we'll replace the orange that didn't arrive in perfect condition. As far as the juice quality of Temples, it is true that no other variety measures up to Page. Temples, though, are unique and a lot of people prefer them over any other variety. The juice probably has as much sugar as Page, but the juice sacs are much more delicate, so the juice doesn't have the same "mouth feel", and the acid is higher so it's more a sweet-tart balance than the pure sweetness as Page. This time of year, the variety that would approach Page for those qualities would be the Honey Tangerines. They're very sweet, and have a deep orange internal color, so Honey T juice provides a rich, sweet flavor experience, too. We mix Honey T's and Temples in our juice at the store, and I would say that it's about as good as any juice we ever make. We'll be shipping both Temples and Honey T's this coming week, then we'll be out of them and on to Valencia, which is the ultimate juice orange by itself, so that's what we'll have for the remainder of the season. Thanks! (Pete)

Brooke, many thanks for your kind review. All of our shipments are guaranteed, regardless of cause, so we'll ship out a replacement for the fruit that was damaged in your package. As far as the fruit quality, we do focus more on flavor than external appearance. We also use far fewer pesticides than other growers -- many times none at all -- so the fruit isn't always "presentation quality". We do try to make sure that it tastes good, though. We'll also push maturity dates and take a few more chances on shipping than others, too -- which is what we have to do in order to provide flavor experiences that are not available anywhere else. The Orange Shop ships more varieties of Florida Citrus than anyone else, which is all about providing our customers with opportunities that are rare and unique. We are passionate about getting good fruit into the homes of as many people as possible to enrich their lives. So, thanks for allowing us to do so for you. (Pete)

Sheila, Thanks for the posts. It's definitely more of a challenge to peel them now than earlier in the season because they are very ripe and softer. Try keeping them in the fridge. When they're cooled down, they are much easier to peel. That's how Cindy and I keep them all the time, actually. They last longer that way, too. Pete

Guess I will be buying these again...my husband LOVES them and he figured out how to eat them w/o really peeling back the rind....eat the pulp out of it!

The customer service of The Orange Shop astounds me! After reviewing the page oranges that I ordered initially and commenting about a bunch of moldy ones that I pitched- They called me and said they were sending me free replacements! How often does that happen in this day and age? I would undoubtedly order from these nice people again. Not only are the page oranges the best I've ever had, but the customer care is second to none. They genuinely care about the quality Of the fruit as well as the customers' satisfaction. I am completely 110% satisfied. I will be ordering grapefruit soon!

Brooke, Thanks for taking the time to post a review. Customer feedback is very valuable to us, and we study each report to find ways to get better. As luck would have it, we picked the very last Pages today, and while they are really past the state where we could ship many of them, I bet there's enough to replace yours that didn't arrive in perfect condition. We'll try to get that done for you -- we wouldn't want you to miss out on a single orange. Pete

Sophie, Thanks for posting your review -- customer feedback is important to us. We do pay attention, and take every comment seriously to try and get better at what we do. Your order was for Honey Tangerines. They are very sweet fruit, with a distinctive flavor. Individual tastes are different, though, so it might be that you were expecting a more tart flavor typical of other Tangerines. To find out, we'll send you a box of Temples -- they have higher acid than Honey T's, and a lot of people prefer that kind of flavor. As far as the appearance of the fruit -- we do ship fruit with more blemishes than a lot of the gift fruit shippers. There are two reasons. First, we don't spray our fruit very much, preferring to try and establish natural pest and predator balances in the field to minimize pesticide use. The downside of that is that if there are no pests, there's no food source for the predators, so if we kill all the bad things, the good things go with them. Generally the fruit looks good, but there are some that were blemished during periods of temporary imbalances. And, second, when we pick the fruit, the blemished ones taste as good or, usually, better than the perfect fruit. We generally pull out the worst of them for juicing, but otherwise they go in a box or bag because we try not to waste any of the fruit we worked so hard to produce. We thank you for your order, and look forward to hearing what you think about the Temples. Pete

Goodness y'all have some great customer service!! Quite unexpectedly I just received a replacement box of Page oranges after reporting that the original box arrived frozen. This is totally unexpected, and totally beyond the call of duty. The shipping problem wasn't the fault of The Orange Shop, as was so well articulated in their response to my review. The new box was shipped via Fed Ex, who did also leave the box outside, but at least they left it by the door that we actually use, and not by the one that was obviously sealed off for the winter. I was under the, perhaps mistaken, impression that Fed Ex and UPS offered a "signature required" delivery option, which is why I suggested using them over USPS in my review. I guess that just goes to show that the folks at The Orange Shop are the pros, and I should trust their knowledge of their business. Thank you so much for the superior customer service, and for the delicious oranges. We'll be ordering again next year for sure.

Thanks very much for your feedback. We actually ship with both Fedex and through the Post Office, and the boxes have "Protect from Freezing" printed on them. We have an agreement with the Post Office that they are not supposed to leave packages if there's no one home home, and normally they're pretty good about adhering to that requirement. If you could let us know where the package was delivered, we can check with the local Post Office and reinforce the policy. Fedex will leave the package if there's no one home, so we have more issues with them than the Post Office. UPS has the same policy as Fedex. We ship a few packages through Fedex, and always have our fingers crossed that the fruit won't freeze. Thanks! Pete

Wallace, Thank you for contacting The Orange Shop. This is a good example of why it's important for our customers to work closely with us in shipping matters. The citrus is perishable, so time is of the essence, and any delay will likely result in some kind of problem with the fruit. We have a 100% guarantee, which means that no matter what, we replace any fruit that does not arrive in perfect condition. In your case, we shipped the package on January 11, which was 4 days between the order and shipping day -- about average for us since we pick the fruit only after the orders are received. In checking the tracking, the box left our packinghouse and was trucked straight to Atlanta, where it was delivered to Fedex. The box continued up the line through the Fedex network, but the trail ended on January 20 -- 9 days after it left our packinghouse -- when the package was evidently en route to Memphis. The tracking information shows that it was never delivered. Now that you've informed us so we can find the problem, we will send out another box. We do apologize, of course. The one-star performance, though, in this case goes to Fedex -- they're normally very reliable, which is why we use them, but in this case they dropped the ball and apparently lost your package, so I would concur with your rating of this particular delivery. That's something we can't control, though, and we will file a claim with them for the lost package, and immediately replace your fruit at no cost to you. Many thanks, and we hope that you enjoy the fruit when it does arrive. Pete

I'd like to thank the owners for their integrity in the response they gave. They could've promoted themselves telling us how dangerous commercial products and said our safety was only guaranteed in local-grown products. But they didn't, they gave an honest explanation and a "thumbs up" to the commercial process. I still prefer local food over factory food any day, but I appreciate the honesty!

Jennifer, Many thanks for your kind review. We're very happy that you and your daughter enjoyed the Pages! I did notice your comment about commercial orange juice, though, and wanted to briefly address that concern. The issue was a trace amount of a material that is used for disease control in citrus many places around the world, and it was well below allowable amounts where it is used. The problem was that it's not registered to use in the USA, so there's no tolerance established. One of the juice processors caught it in a batch of juice they'd imported from Brazil, and voluntarily notified the Dept of Agriculture. They've established a testing program and other safeguards in response. None of the juice in question was ever used, and no juice on the shelves was or is affected. In reality, it's a tribute to our food safety systems in this country, rather than any kind of problem with commercial orange juice. That's why we have the safest food in the world. Many thanks, Pete.

We did get the fruit that day and it was very good. I can forward the response from the e mail I had sent on Sunday. I also have an e mail of the ship date of the 18 if that helps. Thanks.

Patricia, The LocalHarvest web site sends a message when we download the order, and we add to the message that the package will be shipped a few days from that point. If you missed our added explanation, it appears that it has been shipped that day. This is clearly something we still need to work on, because we sure don't want any confusion about what's happening. We know everyone's anxious to get their fruit, and we do everything possible to get it there as quickly as possible. Since we do have to pick it, haul it to the packinghouse, and pack and ship, it takes a few days after the order is received to get the packages on their way -- we "store" our product on the trees so it will be as fresh as possible when it arrives to your door. We appreciate your feedback, because it helps us get better -- which is our goal every day. Pete Spyke, Owner.

Patricia, I see your package arrived yesterday. I checked all of our email address and could find no previous email from Wilmsen. To contact us in the future, send your email to info@floridaorangeshop and the email will come directly to my desk and I will be happy to personally handle your request. Please let me know if you have any questions. Karen Brinson Shipping Manager

Geoffry, Thanks for the great review. We love that kind of enthusiastic response to our fruit. That's our goal, every day! Pete and Cindy.

Thanks very much, Joss. We hope you enjoy the fruit. Pete

Thanks, Nicole, for your report. Always good to hear that the fruit arrived OK. A couple of tips -- keep them in the fridge, and they'll last for weeks. They go pretty quick at room temperature. And, you don't have to wait until next year -- we'll have Pages in January, too, and plan on leaving the Free Shipping Special in place until we've picked the last one! Pete

Wow! Now that's a review, Veronica. We learned some good things, too, so we appreciate your very thoughtful and informing report. Thanks for taking the time to help us and all the Local Harvest family. Pete

Thanks for the report, Sharon. Glad the fruit arrived OK, and that you are enjoying them. Happy Holidays! Pete Spyke

Steven, Many thanks for the report. The All-Page free shipping special is a Local Harvest exclusive for the moment. We like to give their subscribers a shot at the Pages before we run a special on our main web site since part of the sales proceeds goes to support Local Harvest. The Navel and Page free shipping special was on our regular website, FloridaOrangeShop.com. Our specials are based on fruit availability, the weather, and other things, so we really don't have a traditional schedule of specials as such. They're pretty much spur of the moment. So, this may be the last one -- or there may be others if conditions allow. The Pages are holding up well, so we're picking as we go. I'm not sure whether we'd offer an all-Page free shipping special on our regular website, so the best bet is to order them from Local Harvest. The special is running on there until the 19th, but ideally orders should be placed by the 15th to allow us time to pick and process the fruit. Again, many thanks. Pete Spyke Owner

Well, sometimes no matter how hard you try, things just go bad. This is one of those situations. The reviewer had contacted us with the complaint about the quality of the fruit. There had been a delivery issue, so some of the fruit spoiled. Time is an enemy when shipping perishable produce, so if there is a glitch, the results are rarely good. That's what happened in this case. I (Pete) replied to her report that we would ship a replacement immediately, which is the standard response under our 100% satisfaction guarantee. It was a busy time, and I guess I neglected to email a copy of the response to Karen, so the replacement order didn't get entered into our shipping software. The consequence was a 3-month wait for a box that never arrived, and an unhappy customer. The excuse -- none. I just messed up, and for that, I sincerely apologize. This doesn't happen very often. In fact, I can't think of another time we had this situation -- normally we're pretty good with handling all the information. As far as the fruit, we've shipped thousands of packages to our Local Harvest customers this year, the vast majority of which arrived in good condition. I guess those folks are too busy eating oranges to post a report! For those 1-2% of packages that have arrival issues, we always ship a replacement with our apologies. And that's exactly what we're going to do in this case, now that we've discovered our error. It may be like closing the barn door after the horse has run off, but that's our policy, and that's what we're going to do. So, we hope that you enjoy the fruit when it finally arrives, and again, please accept our most sincere apology for our error. You clearly deserve one. Pete Spyke Owner

We actually had a nice conversation over the phone, and we recommended a Honey Tangerine/Temple combination for the spring blend at the store. It's clear that the first package shipped was delayed, which of course means that the fruit would have been in poor condition. Everything's good when it leaves our packinghouse, of course, but after it leaves we're at the mercy of the delivery services. We use both the Post Office and Fedex. From mid-January on, we can only ship through the Post Office once a week through our Coop, The Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association. So, to get packages there sooner, we leaned more heavily on Fedex. Come to find out, if Fedex makes a delivery, they always leave the package at the door, no matter what. The Post Office, on the other hand, won't leave the package if there's no one home to receive it. Well, we shipped a bunch of Honeybells up north via Fedex until we figured out that a lot of the packages were left in the snow, and the fruit froze solid. The New York City general vicinity, including Brooklyn, had more snow this year than any other year in the history of weather records. So, we had no choice other than to go back to the Post Office route, which slowed down delivery, but the fruit arrived in better condition. I also checked the statistics. A little over 97% of our packages we shipped this year arrived in good condition, on time, and with no issues. The 3% that didn't is more than usual -- the average is more like 1.5%. The reason is clear -- we've been shipping perishable fruit into the teeth of the worst winter on record. The fact that so many of them made it OK is a tribute to the Fedex and the Post Office both, really. We would of course prefer that every package arrived in perfect condition, but that's not very likely. So, when there are problems, we promptly replace the fruit, or the entire package, as quickly as possible. Many thanks. Pete Spyke, Owner

Hi, I'm curious how your second shipment was. Would you recommend this company now?Sounds like they have great customer service! Thanks, Linda

Amy, Thank you for your comment. We always appreciate customer feedback, even when it's about situations where things don't go as well as we hoped. It sounds like your Honeybells didn't stand up to the trip to California very well. We've heard from others with similar reports. It's always more risky shipping that far, and from your report the Navels held up better than the Honeybells. None of the fruit was over-ripe when we picked it -- the fact that the Honeybells were tart indicates that they were, if anything, a bit early. The Honeybell maturity was delayed this year -- they were tart later into January than normal -- whereas if they were over ripe, they would have been very sweet since the citric acid drops out as they pass the peak maturity. It also sounds like your taste runs to the sweeter varieties. So does mine -- I'll take a Navel over a Honeybell any day. But, some people like their oranges more tart, in which case Honeybells are perfect for them. We will of course replace the fruit that you felt was not to your liking. The next shipment to California will be on March 4 (we have a schedule set by the USDA, and can only ship on certain dates out there). I went ahead and scheduled Honey Tangerines (we won't have Honeybells in March), which are sweeter than the Temples, the other variety choice in early March. Honey T's are really good -- one of my personal favorites, too. We hope they make the long trip in good condition, and that you enjoy them. Many thanks. Pete Spyke Owner

I read your comment in hopes that you'd describe the taste and I believe you gave me enough info , want to try them but wasn't sure on the taste.

Now that's what I call creative thinking! Way to go, and glad you are enjoying the fruit. Pete

Thea, We do have a monthly gift plan on our main web site, FloridaOrangeShop.com. Those plans provide the most options. We also offer a subscription service that's lower price than the gift packs -- see HealthyCitrus.com. This one is 1/2 bushel boxes, shipped each month. Soon to come -- Orange Shop subscriptions through Local Harvest!

Appreciate the positive review, Cindy, and glad the fruit made it OK. That's what we like to hear! We're especially happy to hear that you enjoyed the Pages -- they are indeed a unique experience. Get ready for Sugar Belles! Pete

Misty, Many thanks for your kind review of the fruit we shipped to you. I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed it. I went back and tracked your package, and I see that we did ship it out on the 14th. Most of the orders we receive in December are for gifts, and if we ship them too early in the month, people get upset, so we tend to push them out around the middle of the month. The tracking shows that it was delivered on the 20th, so that did indeed take longer than normal -- usually the delivery to your area takes about 3-4 days. During the holidays, after the package leaves our packinghouse (on the 14th), it is of course out of our control, so apparently Fedex and the Post Office were swamped, plus there were a lot of weather delays around that time. Now that we're out of December, the turnaround is a lot faster because we don't have to work around the holiday arrival issue, and the deliveries are pretty much back to normal (unless it's going to a location that's buried in snow or something). Again, thanks for your comments. We always appreciate hearing what our customers say about us -- good or bad. It helps us get better, which is our number one goal. Pete Spyke Owner

Pasquale, Thanks for your kind review of the Page Oranges. Fortunately, we have a few more so have opened them up for a more orders this January. In regards to tracking the shipments -- we're concerned about freezing temperatures, too. So, we use a unique shipping method. We are members of a Cooperative, Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association. On a given day, every member of the Coop packs boxes and baskets that are going to a certain group of zip codes. We take the fruit to our terminal in Orlando, where it is sorted and combined with fruit from the other shippers. Our trucks, which have insulated trailers (Fedex and UPS trailers are not insulated), then haul the fruit directly to a Fedex hub near your home. Fedex then combines our fruit with other kinds of packages, and delivers them all to your local post office. The Postman then makes the final delivery to your door, and they are all informed that they shouldn't leave the fruit out where it can freeze. In a handful of cases they'll ignore that advice, but the vast majority of the packages are delivered successfully. The point of the story is that since the fruit is moving through three different channels, there isn't a "tracking number" that we can provide. We can track them through the Coop, though, so if you ever want to know where your package may be or the estimated delivery time, you can just call us at 800-672-6439 during the day. We'll be happy to look it up and let you know. While it isn't as tightly integrated as when Fedex handles the package all the way through, our shipment method is much faster, which is important, and the fruit is protected from freezing. We feel that the inconvenience of not having a tracking number that you can look up is warranted, since the primary goal is to get the fruit delivered quickly and in good condition. So, please do not ever hesitate to give us a call. Many thanks. Pete Spyke Owner

Mona, Just to close the loop on the package weight issue -- there's really no way we can offer the fruit by weight. We use standard shipping containers that are made up of trays that hold the fruit, and the cartons in which we stack the trays and seal them. We pack as much fruit into a tray as it will hold. However, each tray will have a slightly different weight, even if it's the same variety, because all the fruit doesn't weigh the same. So, as much as it would seem that measuring the weight of the package sounds simple, because we're dealing with a natural, rather than manufactured, product, there are no "standards" - Mother Nature just doesn't do it that way! No matter how we try to finagle things, each box of fruit of the same size box will have a different weight. In closing, thanks for the kind words -- we appreciate you more than you know. It's thoughtful customers such as yourself that take the time to provide feedback that help us get better, which is our ultimate goal. So, it's only fair that you are rewarded!

Today, Wednesday Jan. 19, I got the surprise of a half bushel box of oranges from The Citrus Shop! As I had not found Pete's reply here at that time, I was quite surprised, non-plussed even! I could not understand what these oranges were doing on my doorstep! So it took me a while to find the page with the reviews here, and now I understand! I have to say I am more than touched by this gesture of generosity! They did not have to do this! So thank you for your kindness. I have no problem whatsoever with the Quality of the fruit, including the delightful page oranges WITH the healthful pips in them (which are a perk, really!). The trays I got today are very juicy and sweet, too, firm and easy to peel! A great variety indeed! I would like to extend a suggestion for how to sell these beauties: sell them by weight, not volume! That way, there can never be any confusion! It is a practical way to express a price for a merchandise, and it leaves no grey zones of misunderstandings! If I know I ordered a certain weight, and if I get that, I am happy. And I think most customers would feel the same. Just for an example: I bought cranberries from MA, 30 pounds exactly. They arrived here in great condition, and just for fun, I did weigh them: there were 32 pounds in that box. As you may imagine, I was more than pleased with that. It will make me want to order them again next year. So, I don't see why oranges can't be handled the same way! And it would make life right the first time around! Anyhow, I really must say I am impressed with Pete's generous "make-up" gift to me. He really did not have to do it and I really did not expect it, but yes, I am grateful and very pleased! Thank you, Pete! All the best, MMVV

Mona, The Orange Shop apologizes for your experience with your fruit. I'll try to respond to the issues one at a time. First of all -- the question of weight. We ship in standard size boxes in trays to protect the fruit. We express the size of the box in "bushels", which is a volume-based standard. All the bushel boxes are the same size, but the fruit inside will be different, so the weight will vary. When the fruit is small, as with Pages (one of the parents is Clementine), the boxes weigh less. However, since Pages are small, there's a lot of them in a box -- up to 100 or so in a bushel. I purposefully did not include the weight in the Page and Navel/Page products because they do weigh less -- I just used the bushel equivalent -- but I forgot to change the fine print down below that had the all-variety averages. So, my oversight caused you distress, and I apologize. Based on your comments, though, I may use a weight range instead of an approximate amount in an effort to be more clear. I think we also need to explore different packaging options for Pages since, as you say, they can rattle around in the trays since they are deep enough to hold grapefruit, too. This was our first time offering them, so things like this came up that we didn't anticipate. As far as the fruit size in the box of Navels, in a bushel we do pack different sized fruit. Each individual tray has a uniform size so we can pack them in a pattern, but we get a range of fruit sizes from each tree, so we include trays with different sizes, too. We like to mix them so people can have the option of, for example, sectioning the big ones and squeezing the smaller ones. Since the big ones don't fit in the manual juicers, and the small ones take too long to section, we include both. Again, the weights expressed are approximate, so the actual weight will vary. Lastly, as far as flavor, everyone has different tastes. Most people agree that Pages blow away any other citrus variety in the flavor department, and of course, Navels are just a good orange. Perhaps your taste buds like a different kind of flavor, though, so we're going to see if we can't find the one you like the best. With your permission, we're going to put you on the monthly plan for the rest of the season and ship the upcoming varieties when they're ripe each month. You'll receive Honeybells in January, Temples in February, Honey Tangerines in March, and Valencias in April. They all have different flavors, and some are never available in stores, the same as Pages. We hope that we can make you a fan of at least one, and hopefully all, of the fruit varieties we grow! I suspect we can beat a Clementine with one of them. Again, we apologize for your experience, and hope that we can make it right. Pete Spyke, Owner.

I did receive my replacement a week after it was ordered. The oranges were in good condition and very tasty. I would only like to add that I feel I received less than a true bushel. Possibly, I am spoiled by Indiana farmers that fill their bushel baskets to the brim. My box contained 4 pecks that were almost filled to the top. I do understand that it would be difficult to fill them "to the brim" as the oranges would be more likely to be squished. It's just that when one pays for a bushel, they expect a bushel.

Susan, The Orange Shop sincerely apologizes for the problems with your shipment. I went back and reviewed the situation. I actually entered your original order myself, and it all appears to be correct. The original package did ship out on schedule, but when I tried to track it, the trail led nowhere -- it just disappeared into the ozone. This does happen occasionally, and the reasons are diverse, from dropped boxes to getting set aside in a corner and forgotten. I realize that we can't go back and avoid the disappointment you felt. And, I suspect that the people at The Shop ran into the problem of no tracking information when you called, so they were hoping for the best -- the vast majority of our shipments arrive with no problems whatsoever. I would say that the only thing I'd second-guess with them would be to give up on the original shipment and get a replacement on the way sooner than we did. We have scheduled a replacement to be shipped to you later this week. We held off shipping a couple of days this week due to the bad weather up country -- Fedex was completely shut down in key hubs. Again, we apologize, and hope you enjoy your fruit when it does arrive. Pete Spyke, Owner.

We at The Orange Shop are very sorry to hear that the oranges were in less than perfect condition when they arrived at your parents house. We can assure you that they were good when we shipped them! The symptoms you describe -- looking good on the outside but "mush" on the inside -- sounds an awful lot like they were frozen in transit. That plus the extended delivery period you reported raises the possibility that there was an issue with the package after it left our packinghouse. Our delivery success rate is usually around 99%, but when it gets really cold up country there can be some trouble. We try to follow up on every problem, so if you could provide us with your information, we can track the package and see what happened. The Orange Shop also has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so we will ship a replacement package to your parents as well. Our mission is to deliver great fruit, and we will keep trying until we succeed! Pete Spyke Owner

Rita, Please accept our apologies for the extended delivery time -- Fedex struggled a bit there towards the end. According to the tracking, your fruit did arrive in the early afternoon on the 23rd, which was after you had left this comment. We hope you had time to include them in your Ambrosia!

Thanks, Aubrey. Once you've tasted a Page, life is never the same again. It's really hard to explain why -- but no one ever forgets their first bite of a Page. The seed count does vary from none to maybe 10 or so, and you're right -- the size of the fruit is affected by the number of seeds. You just figured out something it took researchers a few years to discover! Thanks again. Pete

Jan, Many thanks for the kind review. Your suggestion to include a description of the varieties is a good one. I'll have to ponder on how to do that! We've finished shipping for the 09-10 season, and will resume in November. Pete Spyke

Many thanks for taking the time to write a review, Debbie. You actually raise an interesting point. The green pigment in the peel of oranges is chlorophyll. When the weather turns cool in the winter, the peel color "breaks", and the chlorophyll disappears, allowing the yellow and orange pigments to appear. The flavor of the fruit, on the other hand, comes from level of sugars. The warmer the weather, the more juice and sugar in the fruit, which determines ripeness. In Florida, it's not unusual to have warm weather all the way until Christmas, which delays color break but increases sugar and juice. This is one of those years. The fruit is completely ripe even though it still has a little green color in the peel. California has lots of cool nights, so their fruit is very orange, but doesn't have as much juice and sugar. Commercial packers in Florida degreen the fruit so it's nice and orange, but we don't. It takes time, and we like to ship as soon after picking as possible, plus it isn't natural. So, it isn't unusual to see some green in the peel of our fruit, even thought it's completely ripe, until we get enough cool weather to complete the process. In regard to the flavor, I'm surprised by your report. The internal quality of this year's Navel crop is the best we can remember. I've had to be careful to not overdo it when I'm in the grove testing the fruit. We do have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and we do understand that our customers have high expectations, so we'll get a replacement box out to you right away. Hope you find the fruit to be what we represent.