South Africa-headquartered Capespan Group has launched a new sort citrus brand called Outspan Gems - described as an expansion of its current citrus brand, Outspan. 

“The Outspan Gems brand will expand the Outspan offering beyond the brand’s core and will highlight the unique attributes offered by selected soft citrus varieties,” said Adéle Ackermann, Capespan Group Brand manager.

The Outspan brand dates back to 1936 when it was the only brand associated with the South African citrus export industry, Capespan said, adding that it has now developed into an international brand used for fruit sourced from many countries.

The company said the word 'Gems' had been chosen as it translated perfectly into all languages, especially Asian languages.

“The brand delivers a product to customers across the world that is fun, youthful, healthy and bold. Most importantly it will be a brand that will be trusted to deliver consistent quality sourced from the world’s best growers, always fresh and great tasting,” said Ackermann.

Through its marketing channels and associates in the Far East, JWM Asia, Capespan will launch the Outspan Gems brand into markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and China where Outspan already has a strong market foothold. 

“With the forecasted global growth in soft citrus volumes, our aim is to create excitement around the unique features of this exciting commodity," Tonie Fuchs, Capespan’s managing director.

"We especially see significant opportunities in the Asian markets where consumers rely heavily on trusted product brands like
Outspan to introduce, develop and deliver exciting new products to these markets.

“We are confident that Outspan Gems will grow to become an iconic brand among the fruit brands of the world, representing a mark of quality, not only in Asia but in all Capespan’s markets globally."