The pear season kicked off early in January, while apple harvesting is now in full swing.
Apple and pear orchards in the Western Cape benefited from a late but cold winter with excellent rainfall. Favorable conditions during the flowering period contributed to steady fruit development.
“Except for a few recent warm days, our summer has been relatively cool. The late Robert Zulch from the Witzenberg Valley used to say that a cool summer signals a good apple season, and we’re seeing that reflected in fruit size. When temperatures soar, trees experience stress, leading to smaller fruit. In cooler conditions, fruit grows 3-4 mm each week, and the trees look healthy,” says Calla du Toit, Tru-Cape’s procurement manager and an apple and pear producer from the Witzenberg Valley.
So far, no significant wind damage has been recorded, and fruit across all production areas appears clean and well-formed. A brief sleet spell in November was the only notable weather challenge.
“We are grateful to have avoided major wind or flood damage this year.”
The apple season is running about a week behind schedule, but Calla expects later varieties to catch up.
“We don’t anticipate a bumper crop due to fewer Fuji, Royal Gala, and Pink Lady apples on the trees. However, we remain cautiously optimistic about an average season with exceptional quality.”
Strong Demand for Royal Gala
Early indications suggest that Europe and the United Kingdom will begin sourcing Royal Gala apples sooner than usual.
“We’re excited about this opportunity, as Tru-Cape’s Royal Gala production has grown significantly over the years, especially with the introduction of BigBucks Gala and Flash Gala,” Calla adds.
Growing Market for Blushed Pears
This season marks a new milestone for Tru-Cape, with the first commercial harvest of Cape Blush pears.
“The expanding blushed pear category is opening up exciting new opportunities,” Calla says.
“Cape Blush is an early-season variety known for its vibrant color and good fruit size, benefiting producers. Our trials indicate that it has better storage potential than Rosemarie, which tends to yellow over time. This allows us to supply distant markets with fresh early-season blushed pears. Additionally, larger fruit sizes make Cape Blush ideal for markets like Canada and Vietnam, while the red blush is particularly appealing to Chinese consumers. By extending availability throughout the year, we can now ship blushed pears to Vietnam and China beyond the Forelle season.”
Tru-Cape is also introducing Celina pears to the market under the QTee brand for the first time.
Improvements at the Port of Cape Town
The apple and pear industry is hopeful that logistics challenges will be less severe this season.
Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape, noted that Cape Town’s port operations showed significant improvement in December. While progress has been made, he acknowledged that there is still room for further enhancements.
“The delayed start of the fruit export season gave port authorities more time to prepare, reducing congestion during peak periods. Additionally, wind disruptions in December were less severe compared to previous years,” Roelf explains.
With stable weather conditions and improving logistics, the industry remains optimistic about a smooth and efficient season ahead.