The Chinese import volume of tangerines from Peru and Australia declined. Market demand for South African tangerines expanded. The South African ClemenGold tangerines have been on the Chinese market for more than a month. The price is higher than last season. Zhejiang Sango Fruit Trade Co., Ltd. is one of the authorized distributors of ClemenGold in China. Mr. Zhang Tianyi, spokesperson for the import department of Sango Fruit, recently talked about current conditions in the market.
According to Mr. Zhang, the product quality in production areas is different from last year. The product quality of Sweet C in particular improved compared to last year. "South African Clemen Gold is a well-known tangerine brand in the Chinese market. The secondary brand Sweet C costs around the same as other tangerine varieties, but the Celemen Gold brand tangerines cost 1.5 times more."
As for the market, "the South African tangerine supply season began in early August and retail will continue until the end of October. Although the market is currently recovering, the impact of the pandemic is still noticeable. However, the market conditions of import tangerines are somewhat better compared to other fruit varieties."
"The Chinese import volume of Peruvian and Australian tangerines declined, which stimulated market demand for South African tangerines. The retail conditions are more or less similar to last season. The current retail price of South African tangerines is around 19-26 yuan [2.64-3.61 USD] per 0.5 kg, which is slightly higher than last season. The price already stabilized. When domestic tangerines enter the market in large volumes in October, then the price will fluctuate again," explained manager Zhang.
"Our main retail channels include traditional supermarkets such as RT-Mart, as well as our own shop Fresh Fruit Age. We mainly supply Sweet C tangerines to traditional retail channels because the price-quality ratio is good. These tangerines are usually sold in 1kg bags," said manager Zhang. "We also promote the Clemen Gold main brand in our shop Fresh Fruit Age. We target mid- and high-end consumers with 0.5kg bags and gift boxes of high-quality tangerines."
When asked about the recent statement from Clemen Gold on the fight against counterfeit fruit, manager Zhang replied, "Clemen Gold is the highest-valued fruit brand in South Africa. There will always be traders in the market who attempt to copy the brand and take advantage of their retail conditions. Clemen Gold has started a campaign against counterfeit fruit sellers last year and there are many traders in China willing to cooperate with Clemen Gold, so that together they can protect the value of the brand."
In addition, manager Zhang also shared the goals and strategies for this year. "Clemen Gold is currently introducing a new variety called Royal Honey Murcott, but market feedback is not stable. Clemen Gold and Chinese representatives are working hard to make sure that the market value stabilizes and long-term retail is secured. It is very important for Chinese distributors of Clemen Gold fruit to cultivate brand familiarity among Chinese consumers."
Sango Fruit primarily purchases fruit from suppliers in South America and Oceania. The company hopes to develop more supply channels and connect with more suppliers in South America.
For more information:
Mr. Zhang Tianyi
Sango Fruit Trade Co., Ltd.
Tel.: +86 13951737818
E-mail: tim_zhang@sangofruit.com