Drive through Fresno County, California, and your wheels will kick up dust onto row after row of orange trees bearing bright green leaves and glowing fruit. There are more than 19,500 acres of them growing on local fresh fruit farms—but legend has it the county’s crop originated from just a few seeds, planted in 1866 by the matriarch of a family that still grows oranges today.
“The citrus industry in Fresno County started with the Kings River family,” Jesse Silva, the vice president of sales at Kings River Packing, told The FruitGuys. “They were the first ones to plant citrus in this area and were true pioneers of the industry which now is many millions or billions of dollars of citrus.”
According to Kings River Packing, Fresno County’s citrus story starts with William and Mary Hazelton. They settled in California’s Central Valley to farm and raise cattle in 1853. Thirteen years later, William came home from a cattle drive to Mexico with a stash of oranges in his saddle bags. His wife Mary took a shine to the bright and juicy fruit, so she planted the seeds—and the county’s first orange trees blossomed!
Eight generations later, William and Mary’s descendants still grow beautiful citrus in Fresno and Tulare counties under the name Kings River Packing. They’ve expanded the original 160-acre homestead to 3,500 acres. With the help of 1,500 field workers and 1,000 packing house workers, they grow, pack, and ship oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, and more.
Farmer Scott Riddle married into the Hazelton family in 2004 and helps run the farming operation. When The FruitGuys called to check in on his crops—which we often add to our fresh fruit delivery boxes—he explained that mid-January kicks off the farm’s busy season.
“We’re heavy in navel oranges right now, heavy in lemons, and heavy in mandarins. We’ve just transitioned to harvesting our biggest variety of mandarins—we do Tangos and Murcotts—and then we also have Cara Caras, Raspberry Oranges®, and grapefruits going,” he said.
Scott and his team are also harvesting pummelos, Minneola tangelos, and heirloom citrus varieties from the fresh fruit farm’s older rootstock. All of these citrus fruits have something in common: They’re smaller and sweeter than they were last year.
“We had a very hot summer so that translated to a smaller size structure on the fruit itself, and with that, we get sweeter fruit,” Scott said. “It’s from all of those extra hours of sunshine this summer.”
Kings River’s oranges and mandarins look as good as they taste thanks to fewer pests in the orchard than last season. Scott’s only concern is their size. Smaller fruit can be tricky to sell to grocery stores, but fortunately, Kings River’s petite mandarins and oranges slot perfectly into The FruitGuys’ fresh fruit delivery boxes.
“The FruitGuys is able to utilize fruit sizes that many retailers don’t take. They really focus on the eating quality of the fruit, and I think that’s a huge win,” Jesse said.
Scott grew up raising cattle and farming citrus, peaches, and plums in the Central Valley near Kings River Packing. He said the valley is a “sweet spot” for citrus crops: It’s not too cold (like the north) or too dry (like the south).
“A lot of our acreage is kind of tucked up against the foothills, which can be extra warm. That hillside soil can make for better-tasting citrus. It’s denser and heavier soil up closer to the hills. You get out into the center of the valley and it’s more loamy,” Scott said.
His favorite fruit from the farm is the Cara Cara navel orange for its sweet flavor and low acidity, but lemons are a close second. Every day, he adds an entire crushed lemon to his water bottle—juice, peel, and all. The method keeps the lemon flavor going through multiple refills.
Many generations after William and Mary Hazelton planted those first orange seeds, Kings River Packing is still a family-run fresh fruit farm. Members of the family work in all three prongs of the company: farming, managing sales, and running the packing facility.
Jesse and Scott said the family’s values impact every aspect of the business, from how it treats employees to the way it farms the land.
“Some of the acreage we’re farming was planted by grandparents and even great-grandparents, and what we’re planting now is going to be farmed by children and grandchildren,” Scott said. “I think we’re more apt to look at the long game and care more about the stewardship of the land itself. I know that I’m just one person on the train—it’s going from me down to my kids and grandkids, so I want to make sure we take care of the land.”
To support family farms like Kings River Packing, consider getting fresh fruit delivery for your office from The FruitGuys. Every box of farm-fresh fruit purchased helps feed people in need and award grants to farmers.
Join the Chief Banana newsletter for weekly fruit facts, workplace wellness ideas, and occasional offers.
"*" indicates required fields
By signing up, you agree to receive emails from The FruitGuys. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Keep exploring.
Browse by theme.
Get easy recurring deliveries for break rooms, micro markets, and more.
Get fruit news, snack tips, and office wellness insights in your inbox each week, fresh from the desk of our CEO (aka Chief Banana)!
"*" indicates required fields
