IN V ES T MEN T
registered for plant breeders’ rights and then trademarks. To allow for further effective control on a new variety, it is important to manage the fruit through the signing of agreements at all levels of management.
Sustainable, traceable, equitable
As the list of boxes to tick in meeting the demands of fruit-hungry consumers continuously grows, the industry is undertaking costly breeding programmes, branding exercises and marketing campaigns to hit the mark. But while the consumer wish list has a role to play, there is really only one factor that matters when selecting fruit: appearance. By COLLEEN DARDAGAN
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o meet the growing demand for top-quality fruit that looks perfect and tastes delicious while at the same time telling a good production “story”, the fruit industry is spending years and millions of rands on developing marketable varieties. This has resulted in a highly competitive environment, with more than 70 breeding programmes from all over the world operating in South Africa’s deciduous fruit industry alone. Dr Leon von Mollendorff, general manager at the Stellenbosch-based deciduous fruit licensing company Culdevco, says the development of a new variety of apple, pear, plum, nectarine or peach could take more than 15 years with costs running into millions of rands a year. “Conventional breeding involves the examining thousands of
individual plants for different characteristics ranging from agronomic performance to end-use quality. That means controlled hand pollination with selected parent plants, then developing and planting thousands of seedlings in the field. Promising selections are made for a further, more in-depth second evaluation phase.” During the second evaluation phase the selected seedlings are grafted onto different rootstocks and planted in different climatic regions in the country. They are then evaluated in for, among others, adaptability, yield, precociousness, fruit quality, and whether or not they will be acceptable in the major local and export deciduous fruit markets. The marketing of a new variety can also run into millions of rands, as they are first
“The South African deciduous fruit industry and Culdevco have different programmes to support previously disadvantaged farmers.” – Dr Leon von Mollendorff 24
Investing in a brand Apple and pear distributor Tru-Cape has been investing in their brand by developing variety-specific soft toys; a farm game application to educate users on growing, picking and packing; music videos; TikTok campaigns; and a strong and growing social media presence. “From the get-go in 2001 when Tru-Cape was first started, it was decided that a brand rather than a commodity would earn a higher premium,” says Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing’s marketing director, Conrad Fick. “Half of the our marketing spend was initially invested in national television campaigns but this has shifted over the years to a number of branded marketing properties.” While these trends certainly aid in pushing consumers towards produce, they only go so far in stimulating demand. Hortgro group communications manager Elise-Marie Steenkamp says while there are some South African brands that perform really well in the market, such as Pink Lady and Kanzi, consumers generally buy produce with their eyes. “Most consumers would rather eat a very red apple, even though a blush variety or green apple tastes better.”
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Fruit quality lies in the eye of the consumer
Raisins South Africa CEO Ferdie Botha says as the industry has been looking to increase its market share in the UK and Europe, international trends are driving positioning. “We place a very strong emphasis on food safety, taste and produce with a good shelf life. It’s basically the best quality at the best price, but quality relates to both intrinsic and extrinsic values. These include conventional versus organic production and whether or not the value chain is traceable from start to finish. “Then in the higher-income markets such as Europe there is a strong focus on health, convenience and the ‘story’ of the product. With an increasing focus on sustainable production, farmers need to pay attention to social wellbeing, environmental integrity and economic resilience.” Von Mollendorff says both domestic and international fruit buyers insist on fair and equitable farming systems. “The South African deciduous fruit industry and Culdevco have different programmes to support previously disadvantaged farmers. Our aim is to help them to become commercially viable and to be able to market their fruit, both in South Africa and abroad.”
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