South Africa’s stonefruit season was kicked into gear in late 2015 by the launch of a new export company named stART, which was formed through the participation of producers and plant breeders in a bid to supply high quality fruit to overseas suppliers.
stART is a new concept in the South African fruit business, because it includes a plant breeder and producers who will be growing a whole range of new varieties as part of an export company in which they will direct the marketing strategy.
Five South African stonefruit growers, some of them also apple and pear growers, and re:inc innovation have come together to form the new producer/breeder/supplier.
“The shareholders believe that top quality producers, focused and involved with the needs of their customers, with innovation and the lowest cost between the farm and the customer, is the business model of the future,” said Ian Carstens, a fruit grower from the Valence farm in Paarl who is the inaugural chairman of the newly formed company.
Carsten says the name start refers to ‘st’, as an abbreviation of the word ‘stonefruit’, and ‘art’, which is a symbol representing the quality of both fruit and service that the company will offer to its customers.
Liezel Kriegler, a director at re:inc innovation, tells Fruitnet that stART has already shipped significant volumes since the start of what is expected to be an exciting new season.
“Our shareholders say they have had a good crop and we look forward to launching start on the basis of a good quality season,” she explained, adding: “re:inc innovation will make all its new varieties for stonefruit, apples and pears, figs, pomegranates and table grapes available to the shareholders on an exclusive basis in South Africa.”
Kriegler also noted that stART will be talking to a few more selected producers in the future to ensure that the demand from customers is met with the correct supply of product.
Ian Carstens, who was a co-founder of South African exporter Colors in 1997 along with Riaan van Wyk, now of re:inc innovation, said that he was very excited about the establishment of stART, explaining that the group will only recover costs to increase the income of the producer shareholders back to the farm, with complete transparency.
“The new varieties of re:inc innovation will allow start to differentiate itself in the top-end of the market, and increase the net farm income of the producer shareholders,” he confirmed.
