by REBEKAH PIERCE
Sponsored by Visit Central Florida
The welcome center greets visitors from near or far as they arrive in Lake Wales. The facility is a retail store and a museum filled with exhibits about the cooperative of growers founded in 1933—Florida’s Natural Growers.
Opened in October of 2021, the Grove House is a visitors center located across the street from the Florida’s Natural plant in Lake Wales.
“What we wanted to create is an experience for visitors to see the journey from grove to glass for Florida’s Natural orange juice,” says Nikki Hayde, Director of Away From Home Marketing at Florida’s Natural.
Featuring Florida cracker architecture, the Grove House is designed to give visitors a deeper understanding of the mission of Florida’s Natural, along with a better look at the citrus industry in Florida as a whole.
While the Grove House offers a variety of exhibits that serve as a bridge between Florida’s Natural and the larger Lake Wales community, the center exists as a love letter to the citrus industry. It is open from October through May and welcomes roughly 30,000 visitors within that time frame.
“We are sometimes tourists first stop into the community, and their last stop as they say goodbye for the summer months and travel back home,” Hayde adds.
The visitors center is designed to be accessible for people of all ages.
“When you walk in, you can sample our juice, take a trip around our retail space where we have citrus-themed items and juice available for purchase, and [enjoy] an exhibit and museum area that showcases different aspects of the Florida citrus industry, as well as our own brand.”
The Grove House hosts a theater that can seat 60 people (roughly the amount a tour bus would hold, an intentional design given the center’s popularity on tour bus routes). Here, visitors can watch a 10-minute video where they can learn about the entire citrus process, from grove to glass, in what Hayde refers to as an “air-conditioned plant tour.” The video tour takes visitors from the nursery, where the citrus trees are grown, to the facility where the final product is produced and packed.
But that’s not all. At the Grove House, visitors can also learn about the packaging timeline, showcasing the history of the citrus industry from its earliest days in Florida to where it is now, along with exhibits highlighting weather patterns that have impacted the industry.
If you’re looking for a more hands-on experience, the Grove House offers that, too.
“We have a self-guided tour outside in the grove [where you can] check out the fruit, see the trees in various ages and stages in development. It’s a nice grove to walk around in,” explains Debbie Crosby, Consumer Engagement Manager.
While the educational exhibits and tours might be what keep visitors coming back year after year, what first gets them in the door is, as you might guess, the orange juice.
“We sell new Florida’s Natural beverages that may be harder to find in a retailer. We have a refillable cup from time to time that people [can purchase] and refill. We have a full line of products available, as well as gift shop items,” says Crosby before admitting, “The juice is definitely the highlight.”
The Grove House is a significant part of Florida’s Natural’s corporate culture.
“Folks look forward to it opening each year in the fall. It kicks off our season,” Hayde says, with Crosby adding, “It’s perfect for all ages, from newborns to 100. We have families that come to see us every year, children as they grow up.”
Whether you’re just passing through Polk County or you’re a lifelong resident, the Grove House is worth a visit. As Crosby explains, “The orange is pretty much nature’s perfect fruit. From the peel to the juice, everything is used in some form or fashion. [This is] truly the best way to see the facility and learn about the industry.”
Best yet, you don’t have to beat the heat to do it, as it’s all within an air conditioned environment.
And just like the iconic orange juice from Florida’s Natural, it doesn’t get much sweeter than that.