© CavalliThe past two South African grape seasons started off on a high note, but this year the tone is more cautious. There's still plenty of Spanish, Greek, and Italian fruit moving through Europe, and reports suggest Italy could still be selling grapes well into December.
Right: Camm van Rensburg and Bertus Swart of Cavalli
In addition, Peruvian and Brazilian grapes are expected to feature more prominently in Europe early in the season – partly due to US tariffs and high Californian grape stocks. This combination has softened expectations for South Africa's early grape exports, with more fruit likely to be directed to the local market in these first few weeks.
"The European situation regarding grapes has had a direct influence on South Africa's price positions this season," notes Bertus Swart of Cavalli, a fresh produce supplier now celebrating its first year in business.
Cavalli operates in close partnership with In2Fruit, sharing quality control, technical support, logistics, systems, and the finance department. Together with Agri Farm Service and Agri Farming Finance, they offer what they see as a complete, grower-focused service package.
Cavalli supplies table grapes year-round locally, alongside exports of table grapes, sweet potatoes, and butternuts. Expanding their export footprint remains a core goal for the company. Founders Swart and van Rensburg bring nearly five decades of combined fruit export experience, having decided to launch their own business in November 2024.
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Local grape prices start lower
This season's first Early Sweet grapes, grown in the far northern regions of Limpopo near Vivo and Alldays, have been sold domestically, with the first flights of Starlight into African markets expected later this week. "Local prices started on a much lower level than in previous seasons," says Van Rensburg. "The demand is there, but the price is not where it was before."
For now, the domestic market is the main focus point for Cavalli. The company works closely with retailers, wholesalers, and pre-packers, while also importing table grapes from Egypt and Spain and dates from Saudi Arabia. "What counts in our favour," Van Rensburg adds, "is that we have cold storage facilities in Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape."
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Their stone fruit season is also underway. "Our apricots are starting this week, joining nectarines and peaches, all for the local market," Van Rensburg says. "Plums are due to follow soon."
He notes that early signs point to a positive overall fruit season. "If the trend of good crops continues, we can expect strong nectarine volumes compared to last year, and a healthy grape crop as well. It looks like there'll be more fruit all around this season."
For more information:
Bertus Swart & Camm van Rensburg
Cavalli
Tel: +27 82 880 3367
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
https://cavalli.net.za/
