Hortgro, an organization representing the interest of the stone fruit industry of South Africa, says it is providing to retailers product availability, consumer intel from inaugural promotion results, and plans for expanding into the nectarine market, aiming to elevate demand in the U.S. during winter months.
“Most people in the [U.S.] view stone fruit as a summertime fruit and do not expect to find high-quality products or availability during the winter months,” Wilechia Van Der Westhuizen, trade development manager at Hortgro, said in a news release. “Since our fruit is harvested at peak of season during our summer months from December to February in the Southern Hemisphere, we are able to provide the U.S. market with high quality and great tasting fruit when it’s least expected to elevate demand.”
The South African climate is much like the Mediterranean, with warm days and cooler nights. This, coupled with the rich soil makes for an ideal growing location of stone fruit, like plums and nectarines, the release said. The weather patterns allow for the fruit to cool, which adds natural sugars and amplifies the sweetness of the fruit, the company said.
“We’re excited to be able to not only educate consumers on our plums, but also provide premium products to retailers so shoppers don’t go without this sweet and delicious fruit during the winter months,” Van Der Westhuizen said.
Hortgro says it recently wrapped its inaugural consumer promotion, the Plum Possibilities Sweepstakes, to educate consumers on South African plums as well as highlight different ways the fruit can be enjoyed and stored once purchased. In addition to building awareness, the South African stone fruit industry also drove foot traffic to local Costco stores where the product was available through geo-targeted advertising, the release said.
“We are extremely pleased with the results of our first-ever consumer sweepstakes and look forward to hosting again next year to continue to gather shopper intel and generate excitement around the South African Plum season,” Van Der Westhuizen said.