SIERRA FOODS, INC.
Sierra Foods, Inc. in the News
DNE launches year-round fresh lemon program
By Bob McClure, THE PACKER CXII, No. 21 May 23, 2005
(May 20) FORT PIERCE, Fla. - DNE World Fruit Sales has positioned itself as the sole year-round supplier of fresh - not from storage - lemons in North America following a partnership with a pair of grower-shippers in Mexico and California.
The company will act as the exclusive sales and marketing agent for Sierra (Foods) Inc., El Cielo, Mexico, a 5,000-acre farming operation about 200 miles south of McAllen, Texas, and it will handle all export and domestic lemon sales for DiMare Indio, which has a long-time relationship with a number of lemon growers in the Coachella Valley region of California.
Greg Nelson, president of DNE, said the Fancy-grade lemons would be packed under the Ocean Spray label and shipped primarily to North America.
"Wešve had lemons from various sources in the past, but now by filling in these two pieces, wešre a year-round supplier," Nelson said. "This has been a goal of DNE for years, and we are very pleased to achieve a program with both volume and quality."
Nelson said the company will initially source:
- About 800,000 4/5-bushel cartons from Sierra (Foods) for its summer program, which runs from May to October.
- About 600,000 cartons from DiMare for its fall and winter deal from September to January.
- The remainder of supplies from Australia, Chile, South Africa, Florida and Ventura County, Calif.
DNE joins Sunkist Growers Inc., Sherman Oaks, Calif., as a year-round shipper of lemons. However, DNE plans to ship direct and will not be placing supplies in storage as Sunkist presently does, Nelson said.
Mark Hanks, director of sales and marketing for North America, said the new supply of lemons from Mexico will be higher in juice content than standard storage lemons available during summer months. The Mexican lemons, which are grown under EurepGAP standards, will be imported through McAllen, Texas, and packed in Mission, Texas, at Mission Shippers Ltd., a subsidiary of Healds Valley Farms Inc., Edinburg, Texas.
DiMare will pack and ship the California harvest.
DNE has marketed lemons for about 15 years. Supplies originally came from Florida and the Bahama Islands on a summer program, which gradually expanded with imports and product from California.
He said test packs would be out in late May and regular distribution would begin in early- to mid-June.
Lemons will be available to retail in standard 2-pound bags and variable-sized packs, and a 38-pound bulk size to foodservice.
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