Once a staple of the American breakfast table, orange juice is struggling to maintain its place in the market as Florida’s orange industry faces mounting challenges.
Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus, acknowledges that the “good old days” of abundant orange crops and high consumer demand are long gone. Now, the industry is grappling with both supply shortages and declining demand.
The biggest threat to Florida’s orange groves is citrus greening, a bacterial infection spread by an invasive Asian insect. For two decades, the disease has devastated the state’s citrus trees, and despite ongoing research, no cure has been found.
The impact has been severe—orange production in Florida has dropped by 92% over the past 20 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At its peak in the late 1990s, Florida growers produced 240 million boxes of oranges annually. Last year, that number plummeted to just 17 million.
Compounding the problem, shifting consumer preferences have reduced demand for orange juice. Health-conscious Americans have cut back on sugary beverages, contributing to record-low sales. Additionally, hurricanes have battered crops, including Hurricane Milton, which wiped out 40% of farmer Christian Spinosa’s Valencia orange yield last October.
Now, a new challenge looms—tariffs targeting Canada, the largest importer of Florida oranges. Despite these obstacles, Shepp and farmers like Spinosa remain hopeful.
“Anybody who wants orange juice, we want them to have it,” Shepp said.
For Spinosa, whose family has farmed oranges for five generations, the fight to keep the tradition alive continues.
“Without a doubt, we can have America drinking orange juice. I don’t envision a day where orange juice for breakfast is not a normal thing in America,” he said.
