A Dole subsidiary plans to purchase a controlling share in an early season grape farm in South Africa's Orange River region.

The announcement was made in a press release ahead of tomorrow's Fruit Logistica exhibition in Berlin, where Dole Europe plans to showcase achievements in its 19-million-box grape category, which includes supply from a range of countries including South Africa, Chile, India, Morocco, Egypt, Peru, Brazil, Argentina. Italy, Spain and Lebanon.

Fruit Care Services (Pty) Ltd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a view to purchasing the 600-hectare farm Rekopane.

The company expects to complete the deal in July, in order to operate the property that currently has 100 hectares of grapes planted and a potential capacity of 400,000 boxes per season.

"Dole Europe has been involved in the South African grape industry since the early days of the deregulation and has grown its business steadily thanks to the trust of its growers, the strength of its brand and its worldwide distribution network," Dole South Africa general manager Gerald Gant said.

"Rekopane is a well situated farm with tremendous potential for growth. We plan to develop this farm to its full potential. It is an exciting project.

"Being a grape producer will now allow us to improve our technical expertise for the benefit of our customers and growers alike."

Dole Fresh Fruit Europe general manager for diversified fruit, Hannes Nieuwoudt, said the grape industry had expanded rapidly from several sources.

"Dole Europe will continue to intensify these partnerships by investing further in additional technical resources that assist growers during the critical phases of production and packing," Nieuwoudt said.

"We have been very pleased with our grapes business in the past, but feel there is still a lot that can be achieved. In our view there is more good growth potential in this category."

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