June 22, 2023 | Press Releases
CITRUSDAL, South Africa (June 22, 2023) – Summer Citrus from South Africa has launched its 2023 season with the support of MSC Shirley to ensure the premium, South African fruit is delivered to the U.S. market.
While the brand celebrates its 25th consecutive year shipping citrus from South Africa to the U.S., the collaborative group is managing through excessive rain accumulation in Citrusdal, where the fruit is primarily grown and harvested. Without electricity and access to roads, growers have not been able to pick and pack fruit, forcing the group to adjust loading vessels as originally planned. Despite these immense hurdles, SCSA continues to ship fruit and show year-over-year volume growth.
“Our team is mighty, even when faced with detrimental weather conditions that have altered our original plan for the season,” said Suhanra Conradie, CEO of Summer Citrus from South Africa. “We have proven that we are capable of being nimble and adjusting so we’re delivering on our promise to deliver sweet, high-quality citrus products and we remain committed despite the weather conditions and barriers.”
SCSA operates in an area with a Mediterranean climate where winter rainfall forms an essential part of the planned sustained growth for future years. Although week 25 of the season will show lower volumes than estimated initially, SCSA is confident in getting back on schedule starting next week.
“To ensure another successful summer season, we have engaged with the world’s shipping giants. We kicked off the season with MSC Shirley which arrived in Philadelphia at the end of May. We gained momentum beyond this with additional containers already en route,” said Conradie. “Starting next week, we will have weekly arrivals of conventional shipments, container vessels, or both. By shipping into Philadelphia, we are positioned for sustained growth of the program now and in the future.”
For more information and to stay up-to-date on citrus from South Africa, subscribe to the newsletter by filling out this form or for more information, please visit www.summercitrus.com.
# # #
