Types of citrus fruits featured in the segment:
- Navel Orange: Native to Brazil and brought to Riverside, California in 1873. Famous for its "navel" which is really an underdeveloped secondary orange bud at its apex.
- Murcot: A thin-skinned, juicy variety of tangerine.
- Tahoe Gold Tangerine: All tangerines are a kind of Mandarin orange. They hail originally from Asia, but have been grown in North America for over 100 years. Tangerines are seedless and very much like Clementines, but easier to peel and somewhat sweeter.
- Organic Minneola Tangelo: This dark orange piece of California-grown fruit is easily recognized by the nib protruding from its end. It is sometimes referred to as Honeybell.
- Cara Cara: Cara Cara or Pink Navel is one of the citrus season's favorites, because it has it all. It is sweet, low in acid and easy to peel. The nutrient Lycopene gives it beautiful color.
- Blood Orange: Native to the Mediterranean, the blood orange is a mutation of a sweet orange and has a crimson, blood -colored flesh.
- Satsuma: This Californian mandarin is seedless and easy to peel and eat. It has a "zipper" skin which can look bumpy and feel soft.
- Grapefruit: The first grapefruit was discovered in Barbados in 1750. It is relatively new to the citrus group and thought to be a genetic offshoot of the Pummelo.
Chris Mittelstaedt is founder and chief executive officer of The FruitGuys, the industry leader in providing farm-fresh produce to the American workplace and now, the home.
Chris oversees the company's overall business operation and is responsible for developing and articulating the company's overall vision -- bringing healthy brain food to the office can boost productivity, improve wellness and help companies improve their bottom lines.
Recently, Chris launched several new home-based products for his customers who were seeking easy ways to enjoy the same farm-fresh fruit away from the office. The FruitGuys now delivers specially designed produce mixes to homes, dorms, and members of the Slow Food organization.
Chris started The FruitGuys in 1998 with the dream of developing a unique and viable business, while advancing the noble cause of improving the overall wellbeing of people in the workplace. What started out as a two-person operation and an old Honda filled with fruit has become a multimillion dollar enterprise employing approximately 30 staff.
Under his leadership, Chris and The FruitGuys have created a practical and proven method by which to address the rising costs of workplace healthcare and overall corporate productivity levels. Chris's unique concept has been copied in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as an effective and proven tool in the improvement of workforce health.
Chris brings a wealth of entrepreneurship experience and business acumen to the company. As a university student, he owned and operated a franchise of College Pro Painters where he was the top interior painting revenue producer in the late 1980's throughout the United States.
Today some of Chris' hobbies include: dressing as a banana while passing out fruit to people on the street; writing about the farmers and fruit that appear in The FruitGuys boxes; designing and patenting the earth-friendly packaging used by The FruitGuys; and promoting health prevention as a path to better health care.
Chris received his B.S./BA from The American University in Washington DC.
He is the co-chair of the steering committee for ShapeUP San Francisco - mayor Gavin Newsom's initiative to help San Franciscans move more and eat healthier. Chris is also a former chair and an active member of the Worksite Wellness Committee for the CA Taskforce on Youth and Workplace Wellness. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and three children who remain his most critical and trusted fruit tasters.
