Icon Fruit is a new predominantly stonefruit export specialist, a joint venture between Cape Fresh Produce and the Unlimited Group.
The new entity subsumes Fruits Unlimited, the latter’s export fruit marketing division, and brings together strong supplies of traditional stonefruit varieties with the Unlimited Group’s designer cultivars of plums, pluots and apricots.
“Icon Fruit is actually a very interesting package: we have a lot of late nectarines from the Ceres area and earlier nectarines from warmer areas. There are the Zaiger Genetics pluots plus some other plum cultivars that we bring to Icon Fruit. Between us and the new producers joining us we have a strong apricot offering,” says Icon Fruit commercial director Lohan Marais.
The Unlimited Group’s Jako van Lill is the commercial manager of Icon Fruit. Icon Fruit’s managing director is Stefan du Plessis, formerly managing director of Delecta.
Plum flowering was exceptional in the Cape this spring (photos supplied by Icon Fruit)
“What attracted both of the parties to this new venture is that we both bring something unique to the partnership, and in so doing we have a really long stonefruit season, from October to April,” he adds.
“Together, we’ll be able to give a very good service to our clients. Icon Fruit offers many of the traditional apricot cultivars from Ceres and Robertson. On plums, pluots and apricots all of the Zaiger Genetics from the erstwhile Fruits Unlimited are now part of Icon Fruit’s offering.”
Eighty percent of Icon Fruit’s portfolio consists of stonefruit, the balance is made up of pears.
The new venture brings together a wide array of clients in the UK and EU, the Middle East, Indian Ocean islands, India, Russia and the Far East.
Apart from the important traditional markets, South African stonefruit are well-established in the Middle East, says Lohan, while they are seeing growing opportunities in the Far East.
Good early opportunity in Europe expected
In week 42 they expect to harvest the first stonefruit of the season, early peaches and nectarines. Plums and apricots are just now entering their bloom season; cool conditions could slow it down.
“From what we’re hearing it seems that Spain could be ending earlier this year than usual, so there could be good opportunities to get as early into the market as possible.”
They would want to send as much early stonefruit by air freight and hopefully now that South Africa is at level 1 of Covid, flights from Cape Town International Airport will increase.
Butternut, pumpkin exports create value for stonefruit farmers
Cape Fresh Produce focuses on local retail marketing of the stonefruit produced by Elandsrivier Boerdery as well as other stonefruit growers (its main programme is with Freshmark). In the citrus season they do some citrus exports.
Butternut and Hokkaido pumpkin exports to Russia, the Middle East and Europe create value for their stonefruit growers who can plant cash crops for income on open land. Last year has been a very good year for South African butternut exports.
“We’ll have to see what the coming season looks like, I hear there is a lot of butternut planting this season which could pull down the price,” he says.
For more information:
Lohan Marais
Icon Fruit
Tel: 072 643 4204
Email: lohan@iconfruit.co.za
www.iconfruit.co.za
www.capefreshproduce.com