Leading South African apple and pear exporter Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing is celebrating its 25th anniversary
The South African apple and pear sector has grown significantly since the deregulation of the country’s fruit industry at the turn of the century.
Leading exporter Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing is now celebrating its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter-century of partnership, innovation and growth that has helped position South Africa’s apple and pear industry as a globally competitive force.
Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape, says the company has evolved from a marketing organisation into a fully integrated value-chain partner.
“Today we actively align orchard production with global consumer demand. It’s no longer just about selling fruit – it’s about managing varieties, optimising returns, and building resilient markets,” he noted.
During the past two decades, Tru-Cape has significantly diversified its footprint, with strong growth in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, alongside deeper retail relationships in Europe and the UK.
Chairman Pieter Graaff said Tru-Cape was created to achieve the scale required to compete internationally – and has delivered on that mandate.
“In global fruit markets, scale is essential,” he explained. ”Tru-Cape brought that together.
”We grew from about 10mn cartons in our first year to more than 18mn today, and we are moving toward 20mn by 2028.”
Tru-Cape, owned by Two-a-Day and Ceres Fruit Growers, now exports to approximately 108 countries and employs around 90 people directly, while supporting thousands of jobs across its producer base and value chain.
Graaff said the company’s strength lies in its grower-centric model and market discipline.
“At its core, Tru-Cape exists to maximise grower returns. That requires deep market understanding, strong relationships, constant alignment with global demand, and owning as much of the value chain as possible to deliver directly to retail.”
He added that Tru-Cape’s early investment in brand-building helped to differentiate it globally.
“We believed in building a brand long before it became standard practice in the industry,” said Graaff. ”That decision continues to pay dividends today.”
Pienaar referred to the fact that strategic investments have expanded logistical reach and market responsiveness.
These include a partnership in Link Supply Chain Management (in 2008), an investment in GF Marketing in the Middle East (2014), the establishment of a distribution centre in City Deep, Johannesburg (2015), and an investment in Fruit Box in East Africa (2020).
“Brand strength now ensures year-round presence in key markets, which creates stability even in volatile conditions,” he added.
