COMPANY PROFILE
2014
Jab Dried Fruit
013 747 2161 | www.jabfruit.co.za
company profile
All hail the healthy snack Editorial: Harriet Pattison Production: Hal Hutchison
Supplying and distributing an array of dried fruit and nuts for over 35 years, Jab Dried Fruit’s footprint is expanding on a global scale. In a world where fast food is becoming an all too regular and easy occurrence, demand for these healthy snacks is on the rise. Packed full with healthy goodness and nutritional value, it’s easy to see why…
With a sub-tropical climate, Southern Africa has optimum conditions allowing the country to cultivate a variety of many exotic fruits and nuts and with the health benefits of these foods becoming more widely known, the export
distributors of dried fruit in South Africa. Located in Lowveld, Nelspruit, the company pre-packs and supplies dried fruits, nuts and sweets to some of the biggest retail chain companies in the country and worldwide.
market continues to grow. South Africa has become a globally known producer and exporter of citrus, deciduous and subtropical fruits.
NUTRITIOUS SNACKS
JAB DRIED FRUIT Founded in 1979 by Johan and Hannetjie Barnard, Jab Dried Fruit started out with just ten employees to become one of the largest manufacturers and
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Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of its original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying or by the use of specialised dryers. Dried fruit dates back as far as 1700 BC in Mesopotamia and continues to be a diet staple because of its nutritive value, sweet taste and long shelf life.
Jab Dried Fruit
Although dried, these fruits retain most of the nutritional value of fresh fruits with many containing specific nutrients reflective of both their origin and processing methods. Jab Dried Fruit’s range of tropical dried fruits includes kiwis, bananas, papayas and pineapples which all provide essential nutrients and different health protective bioactive ingredients making them both an essential and valuable tool to help increase diet quality and aid in reducing the risk of chronic disease. Jab Dried Fruit also supply an array of nuts including almonds, macadamias and brazils. Like dried fruit, nuts are an important source of nutrients due to their high oil content and are a valuable
energy source snack. Used in cooking or eaten raw, nuts can also be pressed for oil that is used in both cosmetics and cooking.
THE HEALTH BENEFITS Looking at the health benefits and nutritive values of dried fruit and nuts, it is clear to see why Jab Dried Fruits have continued on such a successful run for over three decades. Corne Barnard, son of Johan and Hannetjie, joined the company as Managing Director ten years ago and now the company employs 300 permanent staff and an additional 400 temporary staff during the busy mango season between December and April. Mangoes have been
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company profile
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Jab Dried Fruit grown in South Africa for more than 100 years and today, up to 75 000 tons is produced every year.
“Almonds are filled with monounsaturated fats helping with cholesterol, while brazil nuts are a fantastic source for boosting your immune system. Dried fruits are jam-packed with vitamins and healthy nutrients helping to combat viral infections and prevent long-term health problems” The fruit is commercially cultivated throughout sub-tropical and tropical climates and originated in north eastern India. The health benefits of mangoes are widely known, including a high content of antioxidants and beta-carotene which can help to slow down the aging process, reduce risks of cancer and help with complications often relating to diabetes. Jab Dried Fruits make a conscious effort to list the health benefits of the products it supplies – ‘Why are these products good for you?’ With ‘faster foods’ becoming a staple of many diets nowadays, companies like Jab Dried Fruits highlight healthy snacking, selling ‘gift’ boxes of a selection of healthy and nutritious snacks. Whilst the health benefits of fruits and nuts are often stressed, each ingredient has its own individual health and nutritive benefits. Almonds are filled with mono-unsaturated fats helping with cholesterol, while brazil nuts are a fantastic source for boosting your immune system. Dried fruits are jam-packed with vitamins and healthy nutrients helping to combat viral infections and prevent long-term health problems. For instance, cranberries contain anti-oxidants which help in reducing the risk of heart disease whilst Guava has extremely high levels of Vitamin C.
and pistachio muffins, not forgetting a selection of delicious ideas for savoury dishes too with an oldfashion Waldorf salad served with pecan nuts and a moreish selection of salads mixed with asparagus, carrot and cashew nuts. Today, the South African trade market is expanding much faster than Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – the GDP indicates the health of a country’s economy - which means good news for companies like Jab Dried Fruit which rely heavily on export markets. Looking at the years of production since Jab Dried Fruit’s inception, from 1981 to 2011, fruit production in Southern Africa doubled from 2.7 million tons to an exponential 5.5 million tons. This highlights an average growth rate of 2% year-on-year between 1981 and 2011 and after the fruit sector deregulation in 1997, fruit production increased significantly, growing by an annual average rate of 3.16 % between 1997 and 2011. For over three decades Jab Dried Fruits has not only significantly grown its employee base but its client base too, now distributing on a global scale. Due to the continued popularity of its products, it seems this success will continue for many years to come yet.
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READY, STEADY, COOK In addition to highlighting the evident long-term health benefits of its products, Jab Dried Fruit also promotes recipes online where members and users can share recipes with others from the ingredients Jab Dried Fruit supplies. These include oatmeal and cranberry cookies, banana and macadamia nut bread
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+44 (0) 1603 411555 info@industrysa.com East Coast Promotions Ltd, 2 Ardney Rise Norwich, Norfolk NR3 3QH
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