Tree-Ripe  Citrus

(11/1/11) It's getting colder so it's only natural that interest in citrus is picking up! It is no secret to anyone that the economy is far from good and that fact definitely affects decisions of many kinds. We are no different. Last year, as we looked ahead, we had to be concerned about whether our sales would be sufficient to operate profitably. We realize that there are more important things that need to be paid for; rent, heat, food, gas, etc. so our sales would likelybe greatly impacted by the poor economy. It goes without saying that if we ended up in the red it would jeopardize our chances of staying in business. Considering that our summer business has grown to be the greater part of our sales, we had to be very careful not to put our future in doubt as that would affect far more customers.

We were flattered that so many of you provided assurances that "you'd be there" if we came, but we still needed to be concerned. So last season we made a very difficult decision to "sit it out" and hope that conditions would improve. We believe that it was the right thing to do.

Sadly, as we approached this fall and winter, the economy did not seem to be getting any better. It appeared as though we would have to make last year's same unpopular decision again this season. However, we really did not want to miss TWO seasons, so we decided to try operating IF we could be reasonably sure of having enough QUALITY fruit available. We should know soon if we will be able to schedule a 2011-2012 season. If so, we will issue a schedule as quickly as possible and would likely begin early in December.

UPDATE! (11/26/11) Regrettably, there are NO scheduled visits planned at this time. Here's why…

Our source, H & S Citrus, has not yet been able to locate enough additional QUALITY fruit so that we can proceed with a schedule as they have done. Although there is fruit available, most of it is not up to the QUALITY we want to provide you and that you have come to expect. It is disappointing that after deciding to accept the risk of proceeding with sales visits during these uncertain economic conditions, availability of fruit is now preventing us from making the visits. We will NOT, and H & S Citrus will NOT, offer lesser-quality fruit just to be able to visit. Unless and until we can offer the best quality, we cannot publish a schedule, AT THIS TIME. Perhaps if conditions change, we might still be able to make fruit available in some way. We will try. Please check back here later in December and even early in January to see if we have been able to figure something out. Since we live in challenging economic times, we realize that we need to adapt to conditions to ensure that we can survive and continue to provide service to you in the future.

Thank you for your interest in our visits. It is truly appreciated that so many care so much. Be assured that we take your business very seriously. That is why we are so careful to make the right decisions so that we can continue to make our visits long after this economy recovers.

PS. If you would like to get oranges or grapefruit shipped directly to you from H & S Citrus in Florida, you can visit their website or call 800-327-1556. Pecans can be obtained from Ellis Bros. Pecans in Georgia at www.werenuts.com or call 800-635-0616. Keep in mind the additional cost of shipping over such a distance.