OUTSPAN is launching the first seedless lemons this weekend. Seedless Eureka, is only available in the UK and has been developed from the seeded Eureka. Four-packs of the fruit priced at £1.79 are in selected Sainsbury's stores for six weeks.
One of Outspan's growers in the north of South Africa, discovered the fruit in his orchard and took a cutting. It has taken seven years to develop production to export levels.
Martin Dunnett, Outspan's procurement director, said: "This lemon is a real innovation. With fruit it is hard to create new products, but with this lemon we have done it.”
Sainsbury's citrus buyer Marcus Hoggarth is confident it will appeal to shoppers. “Consumer response has been extremely positive in trials," said Hoggarth. "After extensive research we've finally produced a new lemon that delivers an all round superb flavour and is pip free."
l Meanwhile, the decision to restrict the Cape label to deciduous fruit grown and marketed from South Africa and Namibia will lead to the introduction of a new Capespan brand identifying NZ apples exported under the organisation's marketing agreement this season.
This follows a vote by the grower board in South Africa. Growers feel that with the international apple market becoming more competitive, its famous 50-year-old brand can provide growers with a powerful marketing tool which should not be diluted. Capespan is licensed through Unifruco.
Dunnett expects speedy acceptance of the new brand. "Capespan is already a widely recognised name in the trade representing quality and value," he said. "Other fruit grown outside South Africa where we have made substantial progress will also have to undergo a similar exercise, but it will not be this season."
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