About us.

Brown’s Grove was established in 1915 when Edward Brown Sr. and Lucy Mae Brown moved to Sarasota from Brownsville, Florida. This is when the generational family citrus farming business began. Ed’s 40 acre grove was located near what is now the intersection of Bee Ridge and Macintosh. Vehicles would drive to Brown’s Grove seeking citrus and Ed would pick a pick-sack full of citrus and empty it straight into the customer’s trunk of the car. 

Ed Brown Jr and Bobby Brown, along with their wives Betty Ann and Carolyn, followed in their fathers footsteps and each had their own Citrus Groves in Sarasota that were across the street from each other. These groves were at the intersection of Sawyer and Ashton. Ed Brown is well known for his role as a Principal at Riverview High School for many years. Bobby began the gift fruit shipping operation of Brown’s Grove, and would buy the fruit from his brother’s grove as the need increased. They used to pick, wash, and pack the citrus to be loaded on railcars, which was then delivered to the Northern States. Bobby also began selling fresh hand squeezed orange juice from his farm. 

Bobby’s son Tim Brown and his wife Hiedi, carried on for the third generation of Brown’s Grove. Tim started his first grove in East Sarasota County at just 20 years old. Tim and Hiedi are well known in Sarasota County for their involvement in the farmers markets. They expanded the gift fruit shipping operation, sold to many local stores, and ran their own farm stand that not only sold their citrus, but other fresh produce. They also faced many new challenges in the citrus world. By 2010 most groves in Florida were impacted by a bacterial disease in citrus trees called greening. Unfortunately, this has greatly impacted Brown’s Grove and the citrus production. 

The last standing fresh fruit citrus farm in Sarasota is owned by fourth generation Trevor Brown and his wife Lily. In addition to the diseases affecting the citrus trees, major hurricanes over the last several years have greatly impacted the grove and citrus production. Many citrus trees were uprooted and had to be replanted, as well as the majority of citrus being blown off of the trees during major storm years. With a desire to keep citrus farming in the family and in Sarasota, they have created a beautiful event space to help fund the farm. The modern-rustic barn is surrounded by a beautiful lake, live oak hammocks, and citrus grove. This venue will be utilized for educational events, citrus u-picks during crop season, and a unique rental option for weddings, corporate events and more. Tim and Hiedi remain active in Brown’s Grove as they help to maintain this citrus grove and host the U-Pick citrus events while Trevor and Lily will be also working in the grove, and managing the event portion of the business.