South African exporter SAFE will ship the first grapes from the Northern Cape this week, mostly of the early variety Sweet Prime. This first shipment will be two containers which will be distributed by Haluco in the Netherlands and further into Europe. The container should arrive in Europe in three weeks time.
According to Wibo van den Ende they will also be sending more to China this season following the change in psytosanitary regulations for the new season. The company already has good relations in China.
The first lychees will also be flown out this week, the South African harvest has been slightly delayed by the weather explains Wibo. “The market in Europe for lychees is normal at the moment. France is a big consumer and in Germany and the UK they are becoming more popular, although Scandinavia is a very limited market.”
The Lychees are grown in the Mpumalanga, the area has seen heavy rainfall in the last couple of weeks, as much a record 110 mm falling in one day. Summer rain is normal in this area however it has not affected the lychee’s quality.
SAFE and Haluco have cooperated in the field of distribution of SAFE’s fruits within Europe for years. “In the last two years, we also started intensifying our cooperation in the commercial field. This year, Haluco will once again make its sales team available to SAFE for the sales of regular SAFE grapes, and, for the first time this year, the Fair Trade grapes.”
Africa year-round. The entire chain, directly from the source, is therefore completely transparent. SAFE uses Haluco’s advanced and efficient logistical system, the packing lines and sales management. In this manner, quality, assurance and 100% Track and Trace can be guaranteed. Not just the daily sales, but also the seasonal agreements are drawn up together.
Because of this cooperation, customers have to worry less and less, and both companies offer their customers a transparent chain. “Directly from country to customer!”
To capture the cooperation, a short video has been made: