Manhattan Fruitier was opened in 1987 with the goal of making fresh fruit baskets of unequaled beauty and quality. In this country there had always been a strong tradition of sending fresh fruit gifts, but there was very little elegance or quality in fruit gifts. We wanted to bring luxury and refinement back to gifts the had too long suffered the trappings of cellophane, scotch tape, gaudy bows and pedestrian fruit trays. For the design of our fruit baskets, we were inspired by Dutch still-life paintings where fruits and flowers are rendered with lushness and naturalism.