Media Contact: Steven Clark 310-966-3517 steven.clark@wonderful.com
Significant Supply and Distribution of Counter-Seasonal Citrus Products and Domestic Grapefruit Added to America’s Largest Integrated Grower, Shipper and Packer of Fresh Citrus
DELANO, CALIFORNIA, and FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA (February 1, 2017) – Wonderful Citrus, America’s largest integrated grower, shipper and packer of fresh citrus, has purchased DNE World Fruit, the largest citrus marketer in Florida, DNE International, the largest citrus exporter in Florida, and the assets of World Pack Cold Storage, a division of DNE Imports. As part of this transaction, Wonderful Citrus is acquiring DNE’s citrus marketing and import business, along with World Pack’s cold storage, bagging, repack and distribution center in New Jersey.
This acquisition, combined with existing operations, makes Wonderful Citrus the number one importer of counter-seasonal citrus products in the U.S., while doubling the company’s grapefruit position.
“The addition of DNE and World Pack to the Wonderful Citrus family significantly enhances our ability to serve customers year round with a variety of fresh citrus offerings,” said David Krause, President of Wonderful Citrus. “We’re thrilled that this makes us the top grapefruit distributor in America and allows us to serve as the exclusive marketer for all of DNE’s Florida citrus.”
“Wonderful Citrus is a well-respected leader within the fresh citrus industry,” said Greg Nelson, President of DNE World Fruit. “The opportunity to significantly expand our sales reach and access new markets was a very attractive part of this deal. We look forward to teaming up with Wonderful to better leverage our collective strengths in the global citrus marketplace.”
DNE’s sales employees will be offered positions with Wonderful Citrus and Greg Nelson will stay on with the company as an advisor.
ABOUT WONDERFUL CITRUS
Wonderful Citrus is America’s largest integrated grower, shipper and packer of fresh citrus, including clementine/mandarin, navel and Valencia oranges; lemons; limes; grapefruits; and other citrus varieties. Wonderful Citrus owns, cultivates and harvests more than 58,000 acres of fresh citrus and ships around the world each year to ensure a year-round supply. Our citrus can be found in all channels of distribution, with our consumer brands most visible in the produce department of grocery stores across America under the flagship consumer brands of Wonderful Halos mandarins and Wonderful Sweet Scarletts Texas Red grapefruit.
Wonderful Citrus is part of The Wonderful Company, a successful, fast-growing privately held $4 billion company with 7,800 employees worldwide. We’ve made Wonderful Pistachios one of America’s top-selling salty snacks. We’ve turned pomegranates and POM Wonderful into a worldwide phenomenon. Wonderful Halos is the No. 1 mandarin orange in America. FIJI Water is the No. 1 premium bottled water in America. JUSTIN Wine produces California’s top-selling, high-end Cabernet Sauvignon. And Teleflora is the world’s largest flower delivery service.
The Wonderful Company has a long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility, including more than $120 million invested in environmental technologies and sustainability research, $45 million in charitable giving and education initiatives every year, $30 million toward the construction of a new charter school campus in California’s Central Valley, and innovative health and wellness programs, including two new, free primary care clinics for employees and their dependents.
To learn more about The Wonderful Company, its products and core values, visit www.wonderful.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT DNE World Fruit Sales
DNE is the largest citrus marketer in Florida, providing marketing services for six packers of premium fresh citrus. The company operates as the sales arm of Bernard Egan & Company, founded in 1914 as a vertically integrated grower, packer and shipper of fresh Florida citrus. Bernard Egan & Company owns, farms and harvests over 12,000 acres of Florida citrus groves.
For over 40 years, the family-owned Company has been an active supporter in the environmental restoration of the headwaters of the St. John’s River in Indian River County, Florida, which is one of the largest and most successful wetland restoration projects in the world. In addition to supporting numerous local and national charities, Bernard and Betty Egan founded a local shelter for homeless families, The Samaritan Center, and their family members have continued to actively support this effort, both financially and as volunteers, for the past 20 years.
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