US retail behemoth Walmart is this week joining forces with South Africa’s Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum (WCCPF) to celebrate the organisation’s citrus exports to the US.
The ‘Taste of South Africa’ initiative is designed to thank Walmart customers in the US northeast for their support of the export programme, according to a news statement from Walmart.
Activities got underway on 12 October at the Walmart Supercenter in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and will feature special promotions and samplings of South African oranges at 32 Walmart stores throughout the US East Coast.
In particular, Walmart said a series of special Midknight orange product demonstrations will also take place at selected stores between 18 October and 21 October.
“Walmart is among the largest importers of South African Summer Citrus to the US,” explained Suhanra Conradie, CEO of the WCCPF, in a separate press release from the association.
“With its wide retail reach, consumers in the US have access to healthy and delicious citrus at a time when domestic citrus is unavailable.”
WCCPF has applauded Walmart for its 'tremendous' support of the export programme, which begins in June with clementines, continuing with Navels in the mid-summer, and ends in October with Midknight oranges.
Walmart added that South African citrus packs a healthy punch thanks to its high vitamin C content, while also being naturally juicy and sweet.
“Our relationship with South African citrus has helped further our efforts to provide an affordable supply of healthy, safe food choices to our customers,” explained Don Fox, director of global food sourcing for Walmart Stores.
South Africa has exported citrus to the US since 1999, following the establishment of WCCPF to facilitate logistical, marketing and sales support coordination of members’ citrus exports to the US.
Current summer citrus exports from South Africa to the US reach in the region of 41,000 tonnes annually.
Today, WCCPF is a consortium of around 350 South African growers eligible to export summer citrus to the US.
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