Hex River grape grower celebrates milestone

South African fruit growing is a generation game, with foundations that were laid in the previous century resulting in fourth and fifth generations continuing these family businesses.

Leon Viljoen, table grape farmer from De Vlei, one of the old table grape farms in the Hex River, is a good example – this year he celebrates 55 years in the South African table grape business.

He is a fourth-generation grower and has already ensured that the fifth generation is firmly established.

At the same time, he is also celebrating a 20-year journey of close cooperation with the IFG plant breeding programme, which is now owned by Bloom Fresh.

In the process he has not only transformed table grape growing at De Vlei, but also played a crucial role in the process of transforming the South African table grape business from seeded to seedless varieties over the past three decades.

Viljoen almost ended up accidentally and without choice as the eventual owner of De Vlei.

After completing his studies, his father – the legendary Gay Viljoen – had already assisted his older brother, Anton Viljoen in buying his own farms elsewhere.

“I had no choice but to buy the Viljoen family farm, De Vlei, from my father,” he noted.

It is a decision he would never regret, because he found table grape growing “an enthralling business”, especially the search for new varieties.

Viljoen conducted pioneering work introducing new rootstocks that produced stronger plants with better resistant to disease.

“I came across the Ramsey (Salt Creek) rootstock on an overseas tour in the 1970s and started using it on De Vlei – Ramsey was a game changer,” Viljoen confirmed.

It is however the 20-year relationship with the IFG breeding programme and legends such as Dr David Cain, Jack Pandol and Glen and Craig Stoller from the US which he regards as most rewarding.

Leon Viljoen, became the first in South Africa to plant such celebrated varieties as Sweet Celebration, Sweet Globe, Sweet Joy, Cotton Candy, Candy Hearts, Sweet Sapphire, Sweet Nectar and Candy Snaps.

“These varieties make out more than 50 per cent of our planted hectares and they were one of the biggest contributing factors towards the sustainability of our business during the past 20 years,” he explained.

They were developed or co-developed by Cain, who was the chief plant breeder at IFG. For Viljoen, his vision and the impact it had on new cultivar development have changed the table grape industry.

“After many years of working towards this goal, seeing the remarkable production and quality of the IFG varieties during the past couple of years has certainly been very satisfying,” he said.

“We treasure friendships that we could build with him and others from around the world over the past 20 years.”

IFG was incorporated into Bloom Fresh during 2023. “We are excited about this new chapter and the future of table grapes varieties,” Viljoen continued.

Realising that one can never put all your eggs in one basket, over the years Viljoen has also broadened his international search to other breeding programmes.

“I started to visit and form relationships with not only the IFG breeding programme, but also Sun World, SNFL, Giumarra, ARC and others.”

This required many personal visits and trips to the open days of table grape breeders’ evaluation blocks in regions including Spain, Brazil and the US.

Viljoen’s sons Reynecke and Gabriël are already firmly entrenched in the future of the family dynasty at De Vlei, as well as their other farms in earlier regions, namely Piketberg, Trawal and Vioolsdrift, on the Southern banks of the Orange River on the border with Namibia.

“Reynecke inherited my passion for the grape vine and has for some time been focusing on new varieties and the evaluation work which is required to successfully introduce them,” he noted. ”Gabriël plays an important role on the financial and operational side of the business.

”So, we head into the future, determined to sustain the table grape heritage we inherited from those before us.”