Crop Chronicles

All About Oranges

Oranges, a staple of Belizean agriculture, are sustainably grown and processed at Silk Grass Farms.

  • Silk Grass Farms uses cover crop cycles to enhance soil quality, promote a healthy environment, and provide habitat for native wildlife species

  • We create high-quality products from our oranges, including orange juice and orange oil

  • Our state-of-the-art machinery allows us to efficiently process large volumes of oranges

Oranges have been a staple crop in Belize since the 19th century, with most citrus production occurring in the Stann Creek District — home to Silk Grass Farms. Brazil is the world leader in orange production, producing about half of the world’s orange juice and approximately 80% of the world’s orange juice concentrate.

Despite the name of the fruit, oranges grown in places like Belize — with consistently warm daytime and nighttime temperatures — will typically keep their green skins, even when they are ripe and sweet.

How We Sustainably Grow Oranges at Silk Grass Farms

Through our regenerative farming practices, efficient harvesting methods, and rigorous processing techniques, Silk Grass Farms is able to provide customers with 100% pure orange products while minimizing our ecological footprint.

When we grow oranges, we use regenerative crop cycling, which means we rotate the cover crops in our orchards. This technique helps to enhance the soil quality and promote a healthy natural environment. By providing a permanent habitat for native wildlife species, such as birds and beneficial insects, we foster a balanced ecosystem within our orchards, ensuring the long-term health and vitality of our orange trees.

Our cacao trees are intercropped with tall hardwood trees, mostly Mahogany, which allows for enhanced growth and development.

How We Harvest and Process Oranges 

Once our oranges are picked by hand and sorted for quality, they undergo a two-step washing process to remove any impurities. To extract the juice from the oranges, we utilize a state-of-the-art citrus extractor. This machine is capable of extracting the juice from over 500 oranges per minute, allowing us to handle large volumes of fruit efficiently. The extracted juice is then processed for food safety using high-pressure processing and pasteurization. Our juice can be blended or bottled directly, or frozen in our Ice Gen for shipping. We repurpose the remaining pulp as animal feed and natural soil amendments, minimizing waste and maximizing sustainability.

Our 100% natural orange juice is not watered down or concentrated in any way. We package cold-pressed orange juice, cold-pressed orange oil, and a variety of orange-based juice blends.

Beyond the Farm: Uses of Oranges

There’s more to do with oranges than slicing them open for a quick treat or enjoying its juice. In fact, orange peels are just as versatile as the fruit itself. The citric acid in the oil from orange peels provides effective natural cleaners, useful for removing stains and leaving a fresh scent. Orange oil is a natural antibacterial and antifungal agent. It’s also a key ingredient in skin treatments, shampoos and therapeutic aromatics. It’s even used in bug repellents!

At Silk Grass Farms, we embrace the “no waste” lifestyle, and utilizing orange peels in these creative ways not only reduces food waste but also fosters the same sustainable practices that support our regenerative agriculture model.