Our Story
The story of Natalie’s begins in an orange grove with a mother pulling her daughter in a red wagon. Marygrace Sexton’s husband, Bobby Sexton, a fourth-generation Florida citrus grower, dreamed of producing fresh squeezed juice but was too busy running the family’s packing house to pursue it. Marygrace knew the superior qualities of Florida citrus firsthand. Though she had exclusive access to the country’s best citrus, she didn’t have the same access to fresh juice, unless she squeezed it herself or purchased it from a roadside stand. With the world’s best fruit at her fingertips, she was determined to bring her husband’s idea to fruition.
Surrounded by the bounty of her husband’s groves, she made good on the idea that was first intended to supply her own family with fresh, clean label juice. However, it soon blossomed into a family-operated, women-owned business that produces some of the finest juices on the market. That was over 30 years ago now.
Driven by the same family values from which the company originated, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company (named after Marygrace Sexton’s oldest daughter, Natalie), is focused on high-quality, minimally processed juice, squeezed fresh each week. With a commitment to uncompromising quality & honest transparency, Natalie’s goes to great lengths for authentic freshness. Human hands select the finest fruits & vegetables. Each order is handcrafted in small batches & pasteurized at the minimum time & temperature to ensure the quality & freshness of each ingredient.
Life is complicated enough. Natalie’s keeps it simple, which is why there are minimal ingredients in each juice. No preservatives. No artificial ingredients. No GMOs. Nothing to deter you from the optimal health that lives within each bottle of Natalie’s juice.
It’s Authentic. It’s Clean. It’s The Natalie’s Way.
Some memories.
01
1989
Marygrace Sexton started Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company on Thanksgiving of ’89. At the time, Natalie’s only squeezed orange & grapefruit juices in a facility that measured 1,000 sq. ft. The first order, to the Carnival Fruit Company in Miami, was squeezed fresh, bottled, & shipped on a truck borrowed from a local meat company.
02
1990
The first full truck of Natalie’s juice heads to the Northeast. Three full pallets of juice were delivered to Sid Wainer.
03
1993
Natalie’s adds lemon juice & lime juice to its family of juices. The company now ships to Miami, Boston, & Chicago.
04
1996
Due to an increase in demand, Natalie’s moves into a new 76,000 sq. ft. facility & increases the number of juice extractors from two to seven. The company now produces seven juices total, & logs 25,000 gallons of juice per week.
05
1997
Publix becomes one of our first major retail customers.
06
1998
Star Markets in Puerto Rico becomes the first international customer for Natalie’s.
07
2003
The company acquires the Just Pik’t brand & begins its line of flash-frozen products, which allows the company to sell internationally in five countries.
08
2005
Natalie’s produces seven different juices & starts the process of gourmet pasteurization to comply with FDA regulations.
09
2008
The Today Show, one of the leading nationally televised morning shows, votes Natalie’s Orange Juice as the “#1 Best Orange Juice” in the country.
10
2011
Natalie’s changes the label design for the first time in 21 years.
11
2016
Natalie’s purchased their first non-citrus juicing machine, a small-scale vegetable juice press. Natalie’s has now expanded their juice offering & produces over 16 different varieties (including classics & newest items like Orange Beet Juice & Carrot Ginger Turmeric Juice).
12
2018
Natalie’s is now sold in over 32 states & 50 countries. What started as a small family-inspired dream team of four, has grown into a brand with an international presence & over 175 team members throughout the country.
13
2019
After 30 years, the legacy set forth by Marygrace continues to flourish as the company has grown from a local operation to a global one. The untold story of our founder was featured in Forbes Magazine, “Fresh Fanatic: Private Equity Spoiled Natalie’s Juice Company. Then The Founder Rebottled It Into A $140M Success.” With our focus on juicing it forward, Natalie’s welcomed the next generation of juice, featuring a new line of holistic, cold-pressed juices! Mindfully crafted with functional botanicals, adaptogens, spices & superfood ingredients to promote health, wellness & nutrition. With the launch of the new juice line, Natalie’s continued to execute on mindfully improving our packaging with new BPA-free, 100% recyclable, PET bottles.