SOUTH AFRICA - Adhering to the demand of the market is something Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) has been keenly focused on over the past five years. Having had its 25^th season in the industry in 2023, the citrus grower is moving into the next phase of the business, providing a snapshot of the last five years as well as some insight into what lies ahead.

“In terms of supply-chain, there are certain things that are old, certain things that are new, and certain things that are futuristic,” said Leo Holt, President of Holt Logistics. “There are also things that are timeless, and the women and men of South Africa have shown that the timeless elements of what they do, have been the most important. And that is, one: knowing your supply chain, and two: having access to partners that will bring your products to the markets you need to penetrate, when you need to do that.”

At the forefront is a sustained growth of almost 125 percent from 2023, and even during a tumultuous 2020, Citrus from South Africa gained access to all United States ports.

“2020, in my view, was a game changer for our group, and also forced us to shift gears, and two, three seasons later, even go up another level,” shared Suhanra Conradie, Chief Executive Officer. “From 2019 to 2023, those five seasons, we’ve almost doubled our volume.”

A focus on the U.S. market is clear as Conradie lists some of the established goals. A breakdown below:

• Focusing on increased demand for its product
• Choosing the right partners and building long-term business relationships
• Connecting the group of service providers in the Cape Town environment with a focus on the U.S. program
• Short line of communication throughout the supply chain
• Secure market share in a sustained way

“The people of Citrusdal have stayed true to controlling their supply chain and thereby guaranteeing freshness and availability of their products in the U.S. marketplace,” Holt added.

According to a press release, Summer Citrus from South Africa also met additional goals with the U.S. market in mind, including installing container shipments into the port of Philadelphia in 2019, reinstalling again in 2023, and boosting container shipments into the port of Philadelphia by 100 percent from 2019 to 2023.

With so many developments to share, it’s no wonder the summer citrus trade newsletter expanded as well. To read more about Summer Citrus from South Africa, and to sign up for its newsletter, click here for the full press release.

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