I know that some people won’t believe this cause they read in the books that fruit cannot survive 23F (too many theoreticians on this forum) but my loquats survived 13.3F this winter. Of course most of the flowers/fruits froze but those that were deeper in canopy handled it quite well, had about 30 fruits, maybe more. I am talking about 12+ ft tall established trees. They also survived the devastating spring frost as opposed to apricots, jap. plums, kiwis, persimmons, grapes. If you have the patience don’t be scared and give them a try (took about 7 years to get where they are now). They look good, are great for privacy in the winter, don’t need any sprays (no fireblight where I am) and you got tasty fruit as bonus. Definitely one of my favorite plants.
Loquat trees will easily survive 10F. I suspect even lower since many of my trees were potted and still had minimal damage.
However, I doubt the fruits will survive 27-28F let alone 23F.
It’s possible that your trees were in a micro climate that was conducive to fruit survival. A well protected canopy helps.
Every loquat tree I’ve seen that actually bears fruit in an adverse climate has a microclimate advantage. The folks at the Bullock permaculture orchard planted numerous loquat seeds and after many years only 2 bore fruit. I could immediately see why. They were the only ones that overhung buildings that produced heat in winter.
Of course the trees will, my trees survived lower than 10F. I was talking about fruit the whole time…13.3F was the minimum here and still got about 30 fruits.
I was still editing my post. 
Yes that is prerequisite for success with subtropicals. If the trees were out in the open they would not stand a chance to fruit. Mine are in a location sheltered from wind next to a wall. Still remarkable though. Just wanted to point out that they are much tougher than many might think based on materials available online.
Poms, pistachios or jujubes were also proved in the past to be hardier than thought, loquats might follow… I have no reason to make anything up and I pay close attention to temperatures throughout winter since I grow hundreds of subtropical plants… Just wanted to spread conscience/encourage people willing to grow loquats in colder zones…