UK trade visit highlights benefits of SA raisins

By: RED Communications

Key figures from the South African raisin industry have visited UK

suppliers to develop trading relationships and explain the benefits

of the dried fruit.

The trip in May saw industry body Raisins South Africa visit four of

the leading UK dried fruit suppliers, highlighting the quality and low

residue credentials of the country’s products and exploring

opportunities to grow the market further.

“The experience was incredibly valuable,” said Ferdie Botha, chief

executive of Raisins South Africa. “It’s been a while since we’ve

caught up with UK suppliers because of the pandemic, so meeting

face to face was an excellent opportunity to gain an understanding

of the current UK dried fruit market and establish areas where we

can offer support.”

Suppliers rate premium South African raisins highly for their clean

and excellent quality, with the country a global leader in reducing

residue levels. The hot, dry climate of the Orange and Olifants River

regions means disease and pest pressure is lower, and thanks to

good biological practices and control, fewer chemicals are needed.

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UK trade visit highlights benefits

of SA raisins

South African raisins are natural and sundried, with growers having

invested in farming techniques and developed corporate strategies

aimed at protecting the environment, public health and local

communities.

The UK visit comes amid a challenging production season in which

crop losses of 20% were experienced due to flooding and aboveaverage

rainfall. Despite that, the total marketable volume for the

season is estimated at 67,000 metric tonnes, which is slightly above

last year’s figure. South Africa is furthermore a source of prized

golden raisins, which are difficult to obtain from other sources.

The plentiful export volumes will allow Raisins South Africa to fully

pursue its UK promotional campaign, which focuses on trade and

B2B, with activity centred around the newly rebranded SA Sultana

variety. Trade PR and advertising will also feature, alongside

LinkedIn content creation and management and a range of social

media activity.

Trade buyers and press from the UK and Germany will also be taken

to the Northern Cape in November to showcase the work of the

industry and continue to build long-term relationships.

The promotional work and trade visits are helping change

misconceptions around dried fruit in general, according to Botha.

“Dried fruit has received a lot of negative media,” he explained.

“We’ve come a long way over the past two to three years to work

on changing this perception and communicate the benefits of our

product category. Behind the scenes we are working with various

origins to showcase the benefits associated with the consumption of

dried fruit."