The South African supplier says targeted investment and precision orchard management have helped growers unlock the full potential of Pink Lady apples, with European demand up 30 per cent year-on-year
South African supplier Tru-Cape says it has achieved its highest ever packout of Pink Lady apples this season, with both of its packhouses reporting an increased proportion of fruit that met the brand’s guidelines.
According to the company, its growers have taken advantage of targeted investment, shared learning, and precision orchard management to “unlock the full potential” of Pink Lady apples and achieve even better colour, quality, and yield.
At the Ceres Fruit Growers packhouse, the amount of fruit qualifying for the label was 75 per cent, the highest on record for the business. Another, Two-a-Day, saw an 8 percentage point increase compared with last year’s result.
“We made it our goal to get closer to 80 per cent Pink Lady per hectare, and we’ve come a long way,” said Calla du Toit, Tru-Cape’s procurement manager. . “These results show that the strategy is working.”
According to Du Toit, demand for the group’s Pink Lady apples in Europe was up by 30 per cent year-on-year. “The South African Pink Lady industry is also making strong gains in Russia, the Middle East, and India,” he noted.
In fact, over 100,000 cartons of South African Pink Lady were shipped to Russia this season – a record volume for the brand in that market.
