There are no boundaries when it comes to summer citrus imports from DNE World Fruit LLC, headquartered in Fort Pierce, FL. The company imports summer citrus from Australia, South Africa, Chile, Peru and Uruguay between June and October with a wide variety, including Navel oranges, clementines, Minneolas, Mandarins and Cara Cara oranges.

Kathy Hearl, marketing promotions manager, explained that the retail section is the company’s primary customer for summer citrus.

“However, our citrus is also sold to wholesalers, retail brokers and foodservice operations,” she said. “Retailers look at summer citrus as an enhancement to the overall citrus category because it provides them with the ability to offer their customers citrus year-round. With such widely accepted items as clementines and Navels, summer citrus has become a staple produce item. The summer citrus category continues to grow each year.”

DNE World Fruit distributes summer citrus throughout the United States and to some Caribbean countries.

South African and Uruguay citrus arrives in the eastern United States, while product from Australia arrives on the West Coast. Chilean and Peruvian citrus arrives on both coasts.

Mark Hanks, vice president of sales, marketing and operations for DNE World Fruit, recently announced that Scott George has joined the company’s sales team.

“Scott brings over 30 years of experience in the fresh produce industry to DNE,” said Hanks. “He has worked in all aspects of the industry, including sales, merchandising and procurement, and he was a division produce operations manager for a leading national grocery wholesaler. During the past 10 years he worked with growers and shippers, marketing Florida citrus as well as citrus from other growing regions.

“He has a great deal of passion for the fresh produce business,” he continued. “He enjoys working with all segments of the industry. His extensive background will be an asset to the DNE sales team.”

This year summer citrus matured a few weeks earlier than normal. Hearl said the fruit will have good Brix levels by early- to mid-June.

“Volumes coming in from Chile and South Africa will be very similar to last year, but Uruguay and Peru will be increasing their shipments over last year,” she explained. “On the West Coast, Australia should have a slight increase over last summer. The season typically ends when California starts picking fruit.”

Several retailers have informed DNE World Fruit that they plan to stick with imported Navels and Mandarins until early November — as opposed to switching to the new-crop California citrus — because they believe the flavor is better on late-season imports.

DNE expects this summer citrus program to run through October with clementines and Navels.

“Obviously, the back end of the summer citrus program with clementines and Navels is dependent on the start of domestic citrus from California, Florida and Texas,” Hearl noted.