SOUTH AFRICA - We love our fresh citrus in the U.S. market, and it’s no secret to the supply chain. Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) is ensuring continuous volumes for its partners, and recently reported a seasonal update outlining the status of its supplies.
“Easy peelers [are] the biggest [sources of] growth for our group,” said Suhanra Conradie, Chief Executive Officer, in a recent mid-season update video, which was taken when SCSA was about 50 percent of the way through its season. She continued telling me about the season in an exclusive interview, noting that the supplier is about 75 percent of the way through now. “We are currently focusing on the later Mandarin varieties with volumes slightly ahead of expectations. Quality is looking very good, and retailers can expect premium product. In terms of packing, we are very much on-par with year-to-date estimates.”
For Navels, the company is slightly ahead on volume, and both quality and sizing look very good. SCSA will be packing the last volumes for this category soon before transitioning into Midknights. Star Ruby is another variety ready to beautify retail shelves, with SCSA’s supplies looking good and volumes greater than anticipated. The Cara Cara category is also doing very well, and SCSA has shipped increased volumes this year with the last arrivals having hit the U.S. at the end of August.
SCSA’s shipping program for conventional vessels has been finalized for the season, with fruit expected to arrive in the U.S. through mid to late October.
With this update signaling the latter half of SCSA’s season, keep reading ANUK as we keep our eye on the final months of the year.
