SCSA marks 25 years of shipping citrus to the US

Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) is celebrating its 25th consecutive year shipping citrus from South Africa to the US.

The SCSA group has grown more that two and a half times over in the past few years, consistently shipping around 100,000 pallets to the US, with sustained growth planned for the next three to five years.

In 1999 Summer Citrus from South Africa entered the US market for the first time with just a few pallets of citrus, during a time when the imported citrus category was not yet established.

Over the years, the category has slowly built up, with the product being distributed to a select group of importers.

“From the very beginning to now, long-term relationships have formed the backbone of this business and has contributed to the sustained growth and longevity of the programme,” said Suhanra Conradie, CEO of Summer Citrus from South Africa.

“The Holt family and their staff have formed an enormous part of this sustained growth and have been a partner for us to count on,” she continued. ”It has not been easy, but the challenges have made us stronger and allowed us not only to build demand in the US, but also allowed us to utilise our opportunities collectively and expand footprint in the US market even further.”

In the early years, it was the dedicated conventional vessels that were being shipped to the port of Philadelphia.

Through sustained growth, SCSA said it was given the opportunity to engage with the shipping giants of the world where SCSA now splits its volumes 50/50 between conventional vessels and containers, and SCSA ships to both sides of the Delaware River.

“A quarter century is a remarkable milestone in any commodities-based business, and we are extremely proud to partner with our longtime friends in South Africa,” said Leo Holt, president and CEO of Holt Logistics, operator of Gloucester Terminals.

“Building a diverse supply chain ensures food security and access to nutritious fresh food products here in our local markets and beyond,” Holt noted. ”We are thankful to all of our partners who prioritise the safe and efficient movement of cargo through our ports.”

“We would like to show our appreciation to the Holt family and their teams,” said Conradie. “Thank you for taking on this journey with us and your continued support.

”Look where we are today, 25 seasons and still growing and going strong,” she added. ”We wish everyone a successful and prosperous season. We have gained a lot of momentum with our collaborative approach and intend to keep it going.”