BAOBAB Value Adding

Background of the industry

The mango fruit belongs to the family Anacardiaceae in the genus Mangifera. The family consists of 41 species of which the mango (Mangifera indica) is the most important. It is a tropical fruit that also grows well in subtropical areas hence its classification in South Africa and other countries as a subtropical fruit.

There are many different registered cultivars and Boabab Value Adding uses the following for their dried mango product:

Baobab Value Adding is Fairtrade certified and prides itself on the upliftment of social and economic situations of employees.

Tommy Atkins

Tommy Atkins is an oblong-oval cultivar with medium to large; skin thick, orange-yellow, largely overlaid with bright to dark-red and heavy purplish bloom, and dotted with many large, yellow-green lenticels. It has got a flesh medium to dark-yellow, firm, juicy, with medium fibre, of fair to good quality. It can be picked early; it develops a good colour and usually has long shelf-life. Sometimes there is an open space in the flesh at the stem-end. Interior softening near the seed occurs in some years.

Shelly

Shelly, originating from Israel, is a rounded-oval cultivar with smooth skin and a red-orange-pink blush. It has firm, deep-yellow flesh with little fibre and a mild-sweet flavour. The cultivar is a mid-to-late variety with a longer shelf-life than the Tommy Atkin and Kent. Its tree grows upright with an open canopy.

Keitt

Keitt is a rounded-oval to ovate cultivar with a large; skin medium-thick, yellow with light-red blush and a lavender bloom. It has many lenticels, small and yellow to red. Its flesh is orange-yellow, firm, fibreless except near the seed; of rich, sweet flavour; very good quality. It has a small or medium to large seed. Its tree is small to medium, erect, open, rather scraggly but very productive.

Kent

Kent is an ovate cultivar with thick; large; skin greenish-yellow with dark-red blush and grey bloom; many small, yellow lenticels. It has a flesh fibreless, juicy, sweet; very good to excellent taste. Its tree is of erect, slender habit, of moderate size, precocious; bears very well and fruit ships well.

Baobab Value Adding

Baobab Value Adding was established in 1995. Baobab Value Adding employs on average 524 temporary seasonal workers from January to April each year.

Baobab Value Adding facility consists of 18 drying ovens of which each over can dry 2,100kg wet mangoes to 200kg dried mango in 24 – 30 hours per cycle. The ovens generate heat using steam, and electric fans circulate the hot air. The product is preserved with sulphur dioxide. The facility is HACCP approved as well as Halaal and Kosher certified. The raw material for production is supplied by the two shareholders of the company at a market-related transfer price.

Baobab Value Adding is a full subsidiary of ANB Investments of which Blydevallei is a shareholder.