About Us
The Hale difference: You’ll see and taste it in everything we offer.
Since 1947 Hale Indian River Groves has earned a reputation as
America’s foremost source for Florida’s finest citrus – whether you
send fine fruit as gifts, or order for your own household. People tell
us our fruit arrives fresher – and tastes better – than any other
fruit. Here’s why:
We grow fruit. We know fruit.
At Hale, our fruit experts keep a close, daily eye on the
trees, the skies, the birds and bees – and the fruit itself. They bring
a level of knowledge and expertise that is unsurpassed – even here in
Florida.
We know what it takes to grow superior citrus fruit, and when to harvest it for peak sweetness and flavor.
We grow our citrus where citrus grows best.
We’re located in Vero Beach, Florida, in the heart of the
Indian River region, which has been recognized as one of the very few
places on Earth where sandy soil, clear sunlight, ample water and warm
temperatures come together to work a special sort of magic.
Unlike fruit grown in desert or upland climates, our bright
sunshiny days and warm balmy nights produce fruit that is truly
“Tropical” – thin-skinned, exceptionally juicy, naturally sweet and
flavorful.
But fruit like ours doesn’t just grow on trees.
The experts at Hale Groves spend most of their time out in the
groves, relentlessly sampling, inspecting and monitoring the quality of
the fruit. Each day they combine their unique art with hard science to
produce extraordinary flavor and sweetness– and to harvest it at the
perfect moment.
When it’s ripe and ready to pick, our experts say the fruit has a “high Brix count.” One taste and you’ll say: “Delicious!”
When we receive your order, your fruit is still on the tree!
We keep our fruit inventory growing on the trees, ripening and
sweetening in the bright Florida sunshine until the last possible
moment before shipping. There’s no warehouse at Hale Groves. No
middleman. No cold storage.
We pick, pack and ship all of our fruit in one swift, continuous
operation – straight off the tree, direct to you and your friends.
When it comes to freshness and flavor, supermarket citrus simply can’t
compete with Hale. To get any fresher, you’d have to pick it yourself.
The quality’s unmatched because we pick and pack everything by hand.
Hale fruit is in a class all its own. We know, because we
insist that each piece pass several levels of inspection before it’s
certified as Hale “Pick-of-the-Crop” quality.
Each piece of fruit we ship must run the gamut of Hale’s
pickers, sorters, inspectors and packers – each with absolute veto
power over the fruit that passes through their hands. If something
doesn’t measure up to our rigorous – some say fanatical – standards …
out it goes! You’ll never see questionable fruit in the gifts we ship
to you and your friends.
When we design a shipping container, we put our reputation in it.
Starting with our signature crush-proof corrugated Orange boxes
themselves – so rigid and sturdy, you can stand on them without
buckling them. Each piece of fruit in our standard gifts is
individually cradled inside our Protect-a- TrayTM system to prevent
bruising. Then each shipper is fitted with a layer of foam padding to
keep the trays from shifting in transit.
Everything’s shipped in climate-controlled trucks to protect
your gift from freezing temperatures. That’s how we can guarantee
fresh, perfect arrival every time.
The Hale Groves Guarantee
It’s simple: If the gift you order doesn’t arrive fresh and
perfect – if you and your gift recipients aren’t totally delighted –
we’ll make it right.
A view of the Indian River through the groves.
Web Site Features
Hale Groves gives you an up-to-date web site which has many features that we hope you'll find user-friendly.
Customers can sign up for an online account and benefit
from the many unique features of our web site. We simply request an
email address and a password to register as a member.
- Online Catalog
Experience the same look and feel of our catalog virtually.
There is no need to wait for your catalog to arrive when you can flip
thru our newest catalog online, anytime.
- Gift List
View your gift list from last year. Make the necessary
changes (edit address, change gift, add recipient) or leave it the same.
With a couple of clicks, your holiday shopping is complete!
- Track Your Orders
Wondering where your packages are? Wonder no more. We provide
you with online order status, so you know when your order is shipped
and when your recipient has received it.
Additional Web Site Features
- Online Address Book
Maintain the addresses of your family, friends and business
associates in a secure online address book. The feature makes shopping a
breeze and improves the shopping experience of returning customers.
- Gift Reminder Service
We'll remind you of upcoming birthdays, anniversaries or any
other special dates via email when you sign up for the Gift Reminder
Service. Never again forget a special date.
- Email Specials
Receive periodical emails on special offers, unique recipes,
announcement of new fruit varieties and much more when you sign up for
our free email specials.
- Quick Shop
With your Hale catalog in hand, simply type in the gift number
you wish to purchase and select your gift recipient from your address
book, or add a new gift recipient and simply click to add to your
shopping cart. This feature speeds up the online ordering process.
Security
- All contact information that you provide is used to process
your order and to send additional promotional material, with your
permission.
- Halegroves.com is a secure web site that uses a Secure
Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology to scramble private data, such
as credit card numbers, so it remains safe as it's transmitted to our
servers.
Click Here For more Details
Bill Ruble, President
Jay White, Executive Vice PresidentJay
White has over 30 years of experience in the direct marketing world and
15 years of creative and product development experience in the
alternative health field. Jay is a graduate of New College in Sarasota,
Florida, Colorado State University and Vermont College. He is one of
the founders of NaturMed, Inc.
Larry Zic, Chief Financial Officer
Patrick Heffernan, General Director of OperationsPatrick
Heffernan joined NaturMed, Inc. in 2007. He has 12 years of Call
Center Management experience. Patrick owned and operated a financial
consulting firm for 10 years. Patrick studied at University of
California Los Angeles and is a veteran of the United States Army.
Kathy Williams, Art DirectorKathy
Williams joined NaturMed, Inc., in 2002. She has nearly 40 years of
varied experience in commercial art and marketing including 16 years in
direct mail. Kathy studied at Art Center School of Design, Los Angeles
and California State University, Northridge.
Ashley Tackitt, Marketing ManagerAshley
Tackitt has 10 years of work experience in the customer service
industry and has been with NaturMed since 2006. Ashley started out in
the call center and quickly worked her way up to the marketing
department. Ashley is a graduate of Yavapai College with Phi Theta Kappa
Academic honors, specializing in Administrative Management. Ashley is
currently involved in direct mail marketing and internet marketing with
NaturMed, Inc.
Ann Mills, Research and New Product DevelopmentAnn
Mills has over 25 years of experience in alternative health and natural
alternatives to health concerns. Ann’s “previous career life” was in
the legal staffing industry and paralegal field in Minneapolis, MN.
Since moving to Arizona, Ann has continued her avid interest in natural
lifestyles and alternative care. Ann took the position in the Research
and New Product Development department in 2007 and has continued to
source natural solutions for critical health concerns.
Pennie Grady, Call Center Manager 
Monica Johnson, Shipping Manager
