Earlier this year residents of Lakeland Florida noticed a new sign pop up outside of The Mckay Archives at Florida Southern College. The sign is simply the image of a beautiful crate label from Florida Citrus’s great past and has brought up many conversations among Lakelanders. Many people are wondering why, and the reasoning is very simple: Crate Labels are a lost art. Nowadays it is so common for companies to take logos and branding for granted. So many logos look almost identical and, as a result, have become easy to overlook.
Citrus crate labels were made to have certain brands of citrus fruits stand out from other more mundane brands and it was very effective. The images were eye-catching and the slogans occasionally scrawled across them were fun. Unfortunately, so many brands of citrus have diverted from this and it is quite a shame. So many people do not even remember how beautiful the crate labels were. That is why the sign was put up. To remind others how special the citrus industry is here in Florida, and to educate those who did not realize that crate labels were such a necessary part of the Florida Citrus Industry’s proud heritage.
The sign is a part of the Citrus Label Tour of Polk County and will be up at the Mckay Archives for quite awhile. If you have any questions about it, or about the Citrus Label Tour, feel free to call us at 863-680-4164.
Written By: Emma Morton
Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame
In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center
