In terms of fruit size, Jako said that in general, they have been smaller for all stonefruit commodities, creating some problems in the market. “I also heard a small percentage of plums with internal quality issues in the market , hampering sales and possibly driving prices down, something which apparently has also affected Chile. As for apricots, there were also many small sizes early in the season, and the season finished in week 2.”
Price wise, he believes that South Africa won’t have the same returns as last year, when it took advantage of Chile’s poor situation, and this will affect all stonefruit products.
“Some prices for good quality fruit this year have stood between 1 and 1.50 Euro below those of last season in some markets. We have to remember South Africa also had a difficult grape campaign, especially in January, which put the whole market under pressure, affecting stonefruit sales.”
Jako stresses that one of Fruits Unlimited’s big goals is the opening of the Chinese market. “As a company, we believe we have the varieties they would want, and I think its opening, which already happened for South African apples, is a step in the right direction, since the UK and Europe can only take so much. We aim to find customers that can add value to our products.”
The company is also constantly working on new varieties, with a focus on obtaining a good range of super sweet interspecific plums, which Jako reckons is definitely the way forward and will change the way people perceive plums. Fruits Unlimited holds the exclusive marketing and propagation rights on selected varieties.
"We definitely see there is demand for interspecific varieties and the Flavor Fall, which accounts for around 30% of our export volume this season and offers advantages in terms of shelf life over other varieties, has been a great success.”Demand for the Flavor Fall in the domestic market has been increasing over the years as well.
The Flavor Fall, with 150 hectares in commercial production at around 45% of their potential, has, in fact, reached previously unheard of figures, with one of their growers Mr Frederik Rabe recently reporting a total of 10,000 boxes per hectare, something very few varieties could achieve.
Fruits Unlimited works with importers in a number of countries. “Our focus as a group is to have more and more of our business with supermarkets, since that is where we feel there is continuity and stability, and as opposed to traders, they will always offer you first hand information,” explains Jako.
On the left a very proud Mr. Frederik Rabe of Keunenberg Landgoed (Grower) and on the right is Mr. Tol Malherbe (Manager at Toledo Packhouse) that packed the fruit for Frederik Rabe.
Fruits Unlimited’s stonefruit season kicks off in the second half of October with peaches and closes in week 19, which results in an 8-9 month campaign. “We work with growers who supply the product to us on an exclusive basis, and we not only export it, but also provide them with technical assistance. All packhouses must also meet certain standards, such as GlobalGap and BRC.”
Success, according to Jako, is a combination of marketing and offering the right product. He states that the excellent production and big fruit size on the Flavor Fall gives their growers an above average income per hectare and that matters most. He believes they have achieved that mind shift with the Flavor Fall growers.
"It is also important to get your foot in the door in as many retail programs as possible, to create options and to keep customers interested in your product."
Lastly Jako would like to thank all the growers/ researchers/ colleagues/ customers for their dedication and perseverance that lead to the success of this campaign.
For more information:Jako van Lill
Fruits Unlimited
Tel: +27 (0) 21 860 1800
Email: jako@fruits.co.za
www.fruits.co.za