By Suhanra Conradie, CEO of Summer Citrus from South Africa

Hello!

Within the Summer Citrus group, there is a strong line of family-operated growers and farms. A lot has changed for these growers since the citrus industry was deregulated in 1997 in South Africa. Although not without any challenges, these growers have lead South Africa to become the 2nd largest exporter of citrus globally.

Boet Mouton followed in his father’s footsteps and is currently the chairman of our board of directors. Mouton Citrus is not only a leading grower within our program, but was also involved in the 1^st import of citrus from South Africa to the US.

Enjoy this video as you will see the family's beautiful production area in Citrusdal and see first-hand, why we say we sell the world’s finest Summer Citrus.

Production Update

Easy Peelers

We are finished with Clementines and the early part of the season was a challenge due to supply-chain issues as a result of COVID-19.

We are now in full production of Later Mandarin varieties planned to arrive through August and September. The product is looking really good and product will arrive on weekly conventional and container vessels.

We have managed to adapt to the supply-chain issues fairly quickly, as meeting the demand of our importer- and retailer partners are of utmost importance.

Later Mandarin varieties are the area of growth due to new plantings coming into production and supply into the US will be strong for this season. The product is looking and eating really good!

Star Ruby

This is of course a gem and really a fine piece of fruit! Volumes are in line with what was expected and will be consistent to 2019 figures.

Oranges

As mentioned, product will arrive on a weekly basis towards the end of August. We are busy with the later Summer Navels and soon it will come to an end. Sizing is perfect as per US demand and quality is exceptionally good. Larger volumes were shipped based on increased demand, due to an increased interest in Vitamin C boost and immunity spurred by COVID-19.

Soon growers will start with Midknights and sizing is traditionally smaller towards 72’s and 88’s as it fills a perfect window of opportunity for the bagging business.

The photo above features a Blueberry Clementine Mini Bundt Cake Recipe that is popular with our community of consumers!

Marketing Update

We recently wrapped up a big effort to drive demand of Summer Citrus from South Africa. I am happy to report that our summer promotion titled "Here Comes the Sun", which was hosted 100% on social media, was successful in bringing awareness to our sweet and nutritious fruit while also offering shoppers a fun community to connect with during the pandemic.

Having concluded on August 7, I am delighted to say that the promotion garnered 5 million social media impressions, gained us 795 new Instagram followers in two months, and we had 7,369 people opt into the sweepstakes.

When we are asked where to find SCSA products, we tell shoppers to "ASK PRODUCE MANAGERS FOR SUMMER CITRUS FROM SOUTH AFRICA"!  

Check out our highlights on Instagram to see what shoppers are saying about SCSA!

If you are interested in driving demand for SCSA products in your store, social media advertising dollars are available to help drive traffic!  Talk to your importer contact to learn more and connect with our SCSA marketing team.

Until next time, stay safe and don’t forget your daily dose of Summer Citrus from South Africa!

For more information, please visit www.summercitrus.com