Meet the Growers: The Anderson Family

Grove Location: South of Clermont, Florida in Lake County

Uncle Matt’s Grower Since: 2007

Crops: 15 acres of Hamlin oranges

The Anderson family's Florida citrus roots run deep. The family has been in Florida for 150 years with ties to citrus growing dating back three generations. Today, siblings Jodi and Kerry run the family's groves which are located on the south side of Lake Minnehaha in Clermont, Florida.

Jodi’s own story of becoming an organic citrus grower had more than a few bends in the road. Jodi attended Duke University in the 1980s where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in English. It was there that she discovered a passion for organic and natural living when she joined an organic food buyers’ co-op. “It was a way for me to eat healthy and stay on a budget,” says Jodi. “Around that same time, I became a vegetarian.”

Jodi’s passion for organic stayed with her as she continued her studies at Stetson University School of Law in St. Petersburg and the University of Florida where she earned advanced degrees in law and tax law, respectively. After practicing law for 16 years, she returned to the family farm in Clermont to take time off to home school her son and manage the family citrus groves.

UM: Tell us about your family’s history of growing citrus in Florida.

JA: The family has always owned orange groves and been growing citrus. We’ve been in Florida 150 years. My grandfather bought our current groves back in the ‘40s. He cleared the land and planted the trees. He then passed the grove down to my mom and dad and recently, it went to my brother and me. We’ve always belonged to the local growers co-op and that’s where we would sell our citrus.

UM: So, it must be easy for you to put on your “grower hat” since you’ve been around it all your life.

JA: Well, it’s not always easy. Sometimes it involves tough decisions. There was a time not so long ago when we weren’t making any money and root weevil had devastated the grove. Around that time, there was a big real estate boom as well. So we had to decide whether to sell, plant pine trees or save the grove. We decided we wanted to preserve the property for the next generation and keep the grove going. We considered pine trees, but when you’ve been raising oranges for 150 years, pine trees just aren’t all that romantic. That’s when I said, “Hey, let’s go organic!”

UM: How did you know going organic could be a good option for the grove?

JA: Ever since college, I’ve advocated the organic lifestyle -- but even before that, a love for organic had always been with me. Growing up, I had experience with small-scale organic farming because we had our own organic garden. We also used to put chicken manure on the grove instead of commercial fertilizer when I was young. So I knew a grove could thrive with only organic inputs.

UM: It appears that your family was following a kind of uncertified organic program when you were young.

JA: Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, that was the way you lived out in the country. The chemically-influenced lifestyle hadn’t really taken hold yet.

UM: Did you have to push up trees and start over?

JA: No, by that time, Dave Gurney [Uncle Matt's production manager] said that the good news was that the root weevil had so devastated the groves, they had moved on. We were at the very bottom. It was either push it [the grove] up and plant pine trees or go organic from there and see what could be done with the grove.

UM: What did you do to make the grove transition to organic happen?

JA: I Google-searched “organic orange groves" and Uncle Matt’s name came up. When I found out that the company’s headquarters were in Clermont, I said, “Perfect!” I called the office and they came out and made a presentation. Shortly thereafter, we started working with Uncle Matt’s. As I’ve gotten to know the family members at Uncle Matt’s, I’ve discovered their growing philosophy is the same as mine, and that’s just a little bonus.

UM: What does Uncle Matt’s do for your grove?

JA: After securing our organic certificate, our family got out of the conventional co-op. Dave [Uncle Matt’s grove manager] supervises grove care and hires the labor and implements the organic fertilizer program. I love the way Dave and Benny [Uncle Matt’s production manager] treat my grove as if it’s their own.

UM: Are you happy with your decision to go organic?

JA: Oh, yeah! It’s consistent with the way I live my life.

UM: Do you have a philosophy you live by?

JA: I believe if we invest in wholesome and healthy organic food, it will cut down on the need for outside supplementation because the nutrition we need for our bodies will be present in the foods we’re eating.

UM: What are some of the things you do to espouse an organic lifestyle?

JA: I eat only organic. On the side, I am also raising free-range poultry --- chickens, ducks and geese. They’re the Heritage varieties, or old-style breeds, that our grandparents raised in the backyard. They are actually considered rare nowadays. And actually, all my cats and dogs are on a raw diet. That what the free-range poultry is for!

UM: Just for fun, what does a typical organic lunch look like for you?

JA: Lunch is my big meal of the day. An organic mixed green salad with crumbled homemade goat cheese I make from raw goat’s milk. I sprinkle in some herbs du Provence, drizzle some olive oil and add in a dash of sea salt. With organic herb tea to drink, I’m good to go.