Across the backdrop of a rolling country road, the banner for the Ganico company blog reads, "Not all those who wander are lost."

Four years ago, South Africa's Ganico organic pomegranate farm sprouted from the same combination: open country land and new possibilities.

Founders Jason and Laiken Cullen - previously an advertising animator and a kindergarten teacher respectively - had five hectares of unused land in their possession and the willingness to pursue a serious career change.

"We had an open piece of land and we thought, 'what can we do with it?' We threw around tons of ideas. We had never farmed before but we thought, 'let’s give this a shot and see where it goes'," Jason Cullen told www.freshfruitportal.com.

The Cullens' boutique farm now sells to cafes and shops across South Africa and has captured attention, according to Cullen, as the nation's only farm to offer organic pomegranates.

"Everyone loves it. It tastes good. It’s amazing and everyone brags that it's organic," Cullen said.

"Organic isn't 'new' new but in South Africa it's a relatively high-end thing. Not everyone expects it to be organic, especially because we import most of our organic produce. So people love it. We've spoken to tons of restaurant owners who use it in their menus."

Cullen explains that the fruit has garnered extra appeal for its relative lack of market saturation.

"There's a culture that South Africans don’t give much mention to pomegranates. It’s more of a Middle Eastern fruit that some people got like the Portuguese or the Italians. We're venturing into it. It's becoming more popular and more and more people are starting to like it and demand it," he said.

"It’s become quite a hipster product. That’s why more and more people are getting into it."

As the fruit grows in popularity, Cullen added it must also come with a bit of an explanation.

"Those that are very excited about it will know what to do but often restaurateurs will ask us, 'we’d love to buy it but how do we use it?'" he said.

"We have to educate them on ideas. We’ll send them links to videos on how to open pomegranates. It is a very education-oriented fruit that you have to explain to people. For the most part, very few know what to do."

On the Cullens' end, pomegranate farming also came with a necessary educational phase. Cullen explained that in the beginning the couple relied on the help of Google and other farmers.

"Even though none of them [the farmers] are organic that we speak to, it’s all the same principles of water, what to watch out for, how to tell if your plant is doing well or not, even getting contacts for exports," he said.

As the farm's trees come closer to their peak production, exports are the next big goal on Ganico's horizon. In his role as marketing manager, Cullen has been making international contacts. Russia and the European Union are among the initial prospects.

The company also hopes to develop pomegranate-infused products like honey and chocolate.

On the organic side of things, Ganico is certified through South Africa's BioOrg. Cullen said that although nature does not always produce a visually perfect fruit, he is certain that organic production will change the consumer experience.

"When comparing the amount of things we take in our bodies and the pesticides that get sprayed, that’s something no one would ever eat themselves. Maybe because it’s so diluted they get away with it but it’s still something that affects people. And to be honest, you can taste the difference," he said.

Photo: Ganico

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