In Orlando, Florida, a big orange packing company, Emerald Packing Company, is closing down. This company has been a big deal in Florida’s orange business since 1972.
The owner, Stuart Arost, said he’s got mixed feelings about closing. His family has run this company for a long time. They used to pack a lot of oranges, like 240 million boxes, but now it’s way less, just 3 million. This big drop shows how much the orange packing business has changed.
Arost’s family story is a lot like other family businesses. Working with his dad and later his sons, he faced good and bad times. He said there’s something special about a family business. But now, with fewer oranges to pack and things changing in the area, they decided it’s time to close.
Arost knows things change, especially in growing places like Orlando. He said it’s important to keep up with changes but also remember the past. Closing the company is a big deal. It’s not just about their family business ending, but it also shows how the whole orange business in Florida is changing.
Arost said goodbye to the company with both sadness and hope for the future. The end of Emerald Packing Company is a big moment for Florida’s orange history.