Hyatt Fruit Company has been shipping quality gourmet food and gifts since 1946. We've been based in beautiful Vero Beach, Florida since our founding almost 70 years ago. Vero Beach is in the heart of Indian River County, an area known for producing the world's sweetest, juiciest and most beautiful citrus fruit. Pictured to the left is Tom Jones, our fearless owner since 1977. This is one of our favorite pictures of him inspecting fruit in the groves back in the 80s.
Did you know that Hyatt is one of the only US-
Pictured: Tom Jones inspecting the fruit, pre-season. 1982.
It all began in early 1929 when Thomas and Beth Peebles visited Vero Beach on vacation. Like many Florida snow birds, Mr. Peebles decided to turn his family's favorite vacation spot into a permanent home. Upon retiring from his engineering career, he and his wife moved from Pittsburgh to Vero Beach permanently. But retirement didn't last long.
Tom Peebles, circa 1946, Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida: A favorite spot for snowbirds since the 40's.
In 1946, soon after they settled in Vero, Thomas and Beth founded Range Line Groves. They were then joined by their daughter Betty, her husband Art and their 3 year old son Tommy. Thomas Peebles and son-in-law Art ran Range Line Groves together for decades. When Mr. Peebles began to focus on philanthropic efforts, Art focused on the grove business. Then, Thomas Peebles' namesake and grandson Tom R. Jones (Tommy), joined the family business and eventually took the helm in 1974 after returning from military service in Vietnam.
Beth Peebles in front of the first Range Line Groves office, circa 1955
Current owner, Tom Jones with his Father Art Jones, circa 1965
Current Hyatt owner Sergeant Tom Jones. Graduation, Fort Benning, June 1970
In 1977, while running Range Line Groves, Tom seized an opportunity to expand into the direct-to-consumer catalog channel when the founder of Hyatt Fruit Company, Bob Hyatt, decided to retire and sell his company. Tom successfully expanded the Range Line farming business as he began to also ship gift-quality citrus directly to the consumer.
Today, Tom continues his stewardship of Hyatt with the help of his daughter. Together they further the family legacy of one of the first citrus groves planted in the heart of Indian River County.
Four generations @ Waldo's. The Driftwood Inn, Vero Beach Florida, circa 1970
The Indian River Citrus District was mapped, and described as such, because of the excellent soil and water conditions that prevail on the eastern seaboard of Florida. Underneath the Indian River Citrus District is the distinctive coquina limestone, known as the Anastasia formation. The root system of the citrus trees tap this unique limestone layer of its essential minerals and nutrients during the citrus growing season.
The Indian River Citrus District is extremely flat. This flatness, in concert with a high water table - only two to three feet below the land's surface - provides the citrus trees with just enough moisture to obtain the highest quality of texture, shape and flavor. Indian River soil is also rich in calcium and other minerals that abet citrus groves. And the nearness to the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean also has a major bearing on the exceptionally good taste of Indian River Citrus.
Most importantly, citrus trees need approximately one inch of water per week to bear good citrus. Another plus for the growing conditions is that the average annual rainfall over the majority of the Indian River Citrus District is approximately 52 inches per year. These natural elements combined with excellent production skills and improved scientific research, produce very high quality citrus that is thin skinned, has a high sugar content and flavor that is recognized around the world.
Hyatt Fruit Company
P.O. Box 639
Vero Beach, Florida 32961
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Hyatt Fruit Company has been shipping quality gourmet food and citrus gifts since 1946, specializing in the best oranges and grapefruit Florida has to offer. This website is dedicated to the 3 leaders of this family business who have handed down their knowledge of the Florida citrus industry from generation to generation. Beginning with Tom Peebles who founded Range Line Groves in 1946, to his son-in-law Art (pictured) who helped build the business, then onto his son and current owner Tom Jones who expanded into direct-to-consumer gift-fruit shipping with Hyatt Fruit Company, we continue the family legacy via our long-running catalog and now our e-commerce presence. Read more about our story.
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