Dole Superkids

Grapefruits grow on trees and are ready to be picked when they are fully ripe. Since not all the fruit ripens at the same time, it may take several days to harvest all the fruit.

When the fruit is ready for harvest, the pickers arrive in the groves. Fruit on lower branches are picked by hand, but ladders are needed for fruit that’s higher up. Each picker carries a large bag on their back that holds the fruit as it is picked.

The bags have bottoms that can open quickly. When filled, the bags are emptied into boxes that can hold up to 1,000 pounds of fruit! The filled bins are then stacked two or three high and loaded onto flatbed trucks for transport to the packinghouse.

Stems left on the fruit during the harvest must be removed during packing because they can damage other fruit.