FRESHMARK
FRESHMARK
Truly the Pick of
the Bunch PRODUCTION: William Denstone
The fruit and vegetable procurement, buying and distribution arm of Shoprite South Africa’s largest retailer – Freshmark, supplies fresh produce to the Group’s stores both within South Africa and across the majority of its outlets throughout the continent. With new varieties coming thick and fast and old favourites harvesting ever earlier, these are bountiful times for this key industry player. www.enterprise-africa.net / 3
INDUSTRY FOCUS: AGRICULTURE
//
Freshmark is one of the largest purchasers of fresh produce in Africa today for South Africa’s largest retailer, sourcing the majority of the Shoprite Group’s requirements directly from local producers. This allows it to fulfil its longstanding promise of the utmost freshness to the customer, while also reducing transport and packaging costs. Much effort has been, and continues to be, put into establishing an extensive local network of suppliers, an objective which is being mimicked across the continent as the Shoprite Group expands further into Africa. Freshmark prices itself on maintaining direct relationships
4 / www.enterprise-africa.net
with farmers, cutting out the ‘middle man’ traditionally associated with this industry, and has established growing programs with each in order to discuss the quality and quantity of the products which are harvested every year. Alongside the commitment to supporting local goods, at times of need Freshmark is also positioned to import fruit and vegetables to allow it to ensure both a wider variety and that all-important continuity of traditionally seasonal fresh produce, as well as to introduce specialty fruit and vegetables to both the local and international markets. Freshmark operates its own network of distribution centres and negotiates production contracts with
// THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES HAS LED TO MORE CHOICES // over 1114 growers to see some 95% of its fresh produce sought from the local environs. It has long played a key role in equipping emerging farmers with the knowledge and skills to produce and meet international GLOBALG.A.P. standards, which guarantee safe and sustainable agricultural production to benefit farmers, retailers and consumers throughout the world. NEW VARIETIES One impact of Freshmark’s stringent attention to the latest and most cutting-edge international research is the regularity with which it is then able to bring new and improved varietals and products to the Group’s markets. While South Africa may be renowned as one of the world’s top table grape exporters, offering a broad selection of new and improved varieties to markets in Europe, North America and Asia, many of its new cultivars are now also proving popular among consumers in the domestic market, with this expansion of grapes’ appeal providing a welcome boost to the category. Although it is taking longer for many new varieties to become household names in South Africa, there are some notable changes taking place on the domestic table grape market. Tania Van Der Merwe, Freshmark’s National Procurement Buyer of Stone fruit, Grapes and Exotic Fruit, explained how increasing the number of proprietary varieties is positively impacting sales and helping to extend the sales season for domestically-grown fruit. “We have been experiencing a better eating quality and larger berry size,” she explained. “Meanwhile,
L
A V L N L EY IO WING WITH O R G
Freshmark Sweet potatoes the most under-estimated nutritional vegetable
PROUD PRODUCER OF:
KOBUS: +27 82 567 1902 NICO: +27 63 681 7127 EMAIL: admin@lionvalley.co.za
INDUSTRY FOCUS: AGRICULTURE
better late varieties have given us the opportunity to achieve a longer shelf life that is able to extend our season by approximately six weeks. “We have also become more accurate with our storage programs,” Van Der Merwe continued, “which is sorely needed for late varieties. “The introduction of new varieties has led to more choices and has changed our specifications. We’re still competing with the export market, but there are more newer varieties available for our local market. “Quality remains key for any consumer, and therefore suppliers need to ensure shelf life,” Van Der Merwe said of the key factors in growing the sector further. “They also need to ensure consistent harvests annually. The worst for retail is to market a new line for a season and then have limited volumes the next season.”
AN APPLE FIRST Resulting from an exclusive agreement between Freshmark/ Checkers and TopFruit, the South African licensee for New Zealandbased T&G Global, JAZZ™ has arrived as the first fully-branded club variety apple on South African shelves for which Checkers has the exclusivity rights for the next three years. “Checkers are very committed to this brand and have made sure that all stores that stock the apples have eye-catching point of sale material and recipe cards in stores,” says Liza Matthews, marketing manager at TopFruit. “JAZZ™ apples are sold in fullybranded packaging which is a first for a branded apple in South Africa. Normally all branded apples are sold in the supermarket’s own look and feel bags with only the brand’s logo visible on the bag. A consumer marketing campaign has been developed to promote the brand and drive sales during the period that the apples are available.” According to TopFruit, JAZZ™ apples were first born in New Zealand orchards following a union of Royal Gala and Braeburn varieties. “Seventeen years later JAZZ™ apples have become a global favourite, being grown in thirteen countries under a closely controlled quality growing programme and sold in 45 countries. “The JAZZ™ brand’s success can be attributed to the consistency and uniqueness of the JAZZ™ apple eating experience and its durability and versatility,” the company said. PEAR POTENTIAL The promise noted two years ago now of the blushed pear Celina has finally borne fruit, in the form of the fruit’s first harvest in South Africa. This comes as a major lift to the industry and the export of the new variety will play an important future role in the early season.
6 / www.enterprise-africa.net
FRESHMARK
// QUALITY REMAINS KEY FOR ANY CONSUMER // Celina will, for the first time in nearly 20 years, offer a viable opportunity for the South African industry to offer the world’s markets a range of blushed pears from early until late season. The first commercial volumes of Celina were harvested this season in various areas, and offered to consumers in South Africa through Freshmark and the Shoprite Checkers Group.
“Celina is the earliest of a range of blushed varieties that South African growers are offering the world’s markets,” says Stargrow’s Andries van der Westhuizen. “It has really been in high demand this year and performed very well in terms of prices.” “It is the grower’s best friend, because it delivers an excellent yield, the trees come into production fairly early and it eats very well,” concluded
Stargrow’s chairman Michiel Prins. “We are delighted to have it as part of our portfolio. The early promise is certainly there to be one of those varieties which could help shape a new South African pear sector both in terms of returns to the farm and market performance.”
WWW.SHOPRITEHOLDINGS.CO.ZA
www.enterprise-africa.net / 7
Published by CMB Media Group Chris Bolderstone – General Manager E. chris@cmb-media.co.uk Sackville Place, 44-48 Magdalen Street, Norwich, NR3 1JU T. +44 (0) 20 8123 7859 E. info@cmb-media.co.uk www.cmb-media.co.uk CMB Media Group does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/ or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. Š CMB Media Group Ltd 2019
AS FEAT UR ED IN
ENTERPRISE AFRICA
J UNE 2019