Boudrias Legacy
Our History
Our story began about 100 years ago when Anton Beerhalter and Emily Rolling traveled all the way from Bellevue, Iowa, by horse and buggy to plant roots on the very same property where we continue to reside. Grandma Boudrias was born on the front porch of the home Anton and Emily built, (still standing today) as as she grew up, Rolland Boudrias, affectionately known as Grandpa Boudrias, would travel down in the summertime from Canada to farm, which is when he met Mary Beerhalter. The two eventually married in 1938, and over the years, Grandpa added land to the homestead, bringing the total to around 100 acres of citrus throughout St. Lucie County.
Over the Years
Citrus Industry
As you can imagine, we have seen many changes in the citrus industry over the years. When the neighboring 325 acres of grove were burnt to the ground due to an infestation of the Apopka Beetle, I remember Roland saying, “It won’t be long before ours are gone.” He worked tirelessly to prevent our grove from succumbing to the same plight, spending hours saturating the ground with water and releasing nematodes that would burrow down into the wet soil and eat the beetle larvae before they matured. Unfortunately, in 2004, Hurricanes Frances and Jean came along and helped deal the final blow to our grove. Our trees slowly stopped producing quality fruit, as did so many growers.
With Our Customers At The Forefront
We began reaching out to other area growers to help supplement our shipping orders. It was imperative to our family to find like-minded growers that were dedicated to providing the same quality of fruit we had become known for. We have been lucky to partner with these same local growers for almost 20 years now and can continue to provide our customers with the best citrus fruit the Indian River and Treasure Coast have to offer.
Roland Joseph Boudrias Jr.
The Pillar of This Legacy
February 5, 1951 – January 29, 2023
In 2023, we lost the backbone of our family, and the man you all have come to know as the face of Boudrias Groves. Second only to his family, the corner store provided a great sense of pride and joy for Roland. He spent 50 years building the store into the beloved local landmark it has become. Anyone who has ever walked through our doors can tell you he was always there, ready with a welcome that only Roland could give. Under his stewardship, the corner store became famous for its fresh-squeezed OJ, Indian River citrus, Lamarcia’s Blue Ribbon Fudge, fresh produce, and an array of delightful toys and gift fruit souvenirs and shipping necessities. Roland’s commitment to quality and customer service was unparalleled, and his presence in the store was a source of joy and reliability for all who visited, and he especially liked having a circle of comfortable chairs for anyone to sit and chat. He would even offer to make you a sandwich.
We keep going strong
We Aim to Continue the Legacy
Without Roland, it became evident that continuing to run the store just didn’t make sense. While you can no longer pop in for our famous fresh-squeezed OJ, local goods and produce, or Lamarcia’s blue-ribbon fudge, we are proud to continue our gift fruit shipping online during seasonal months. Roland’s absence will always be deeply felt, along with the store, and seeing our customers daily, but we will continue to honor his legacy by delivering quality citrus and sunshine to our customers, both old and new. We understand the sentimental value and tradition our customers associate with Boudrias Groves & Gifts. As we move forward, we invite you to join us in this new chapter, keeping the spirit of our corner store alive in every box of fruit we ship.
TODAY
The New Chapter
Lastly, at Roland’s request, we sold our iconic corner store to two local families that knew and loved Roland and the corner store. We are excited to see how they transform the place, and knowing the store is in good hands makes the ending of an era more bearable. Something tells me that Roland is happy that we are continuing the Gift Fruit Shipping.
We aim to continue our gift fruit shipping during the seasonal months through our online program, via email, and via phone. We will continue to deliver on the quality citrus to be shipped as normal.
