Canyon Gold

Blydevallei Fresh Produce

To be sustainable in an ever competitive fruit export industry, it is crucial to focus on the marketing principle of “Field to Fork”. Integration of the supply chain forms an essential part of it and relationships with fruit receivers in the diverse international markets, must be developed at grass root level. It is necessary to access new markets; therefore, South Africa and the USA are currently busy with negotiations to allow farmers in black spot affected areas to export citrus to the USA. When they have come to an agreement, Blydevallei will be allowed to export to the USA markets as well.

As part of our integration in the supply chain, we have developed our own brand, Canyon Gold, over the last 20 years to such an extent that in 2018 more than 80% of our fruit was marketed directly to receivers and Supermarkets all over the world. Direct exports have many advantages, including the fact that you know who your customer is and what their needs are. You also have more control over all the phases of transactions.

Blydevallei takes pride in its equipment; therefore, we are constantly searching for the best technology to upgrade our pack houses and improve our systems.

Blydevallei Fresh Produce Volumes

289

Cartons of Mangoes

487

Cartons of Oranges

Cartons of Lemons

282

Cartons of Grapefruit

Mangoes

The mango tree is an evergreen, implicating that it doesn’t sporadically lose its leaves and regrow them. The leaves of the mango tree can grow up to 1 foot in size, and the blossoms are small and pink with an evident aroma that develops in clusters. Another distinct fact about the mango tree is its extensive lifespan, 300-year-old mango trees exist and they still yield fruit. Blydevallei Mangoes forms a very important portion of our business. Mango season starts in the hot and humid month of December and ends in April. We market our mango products through 4 different channels:

– Local markets all over the country and Supermarket programs to Fresh mark, Fruit & Veg, Pick & Pay and Woolworths.
– We supply mangoes to Fresch Cut programs in South African and export market as well as Blue Skies export programs through Ghana.
– We supply our own mango drying plant as well as different other drying plants in the Lowveld.

Lemons

This lemon variation is an evergreen, average sized tree with sleek green leaves, gorgeous scented florets, and prominent yellow fruit. Lemons have become an everyday necessity, from lemon cuts for drinks, lemon juice for making food, to lemon water and even lemonade. The Eureka lemon is the most common Lemon Variety and makes up the biggest portion of Lemons exported from South Africa. At Blydevallei we grow Eureka and Lisbon Valencias. We also have been privileged to obtain the right through BIOGOLD to grow LemonGold, a new and very popular Australian Seedless variety.

At Blydevallei, we produce Lemons December and January for the local market and between weeks 8 – 18 for the export market. Most of the produce is exported to Asia, Russia and the Middle East.

Grapefruit

The evergreen Grapefruit trees regularly grow to around 5–6 meters high, though they can reach 13–15 meters. The leaves are usually dark green and tend to be bigger and rounder than the leaves of a Valencia tree. It produces white flowers usually in September that will eventually become a beautiful grapefruit. The meat of the Grapefruit is segmented and varying in colour depending on the cultivars, which include white, pink and red pulps of varying sweetness.

At Blydevallei, we have planted the Star Ruby and Marsh cultivars and the fruit are harvested from April to June. The Star Ruby grapefruit is the most popular grapefruit variety and makes up by far the biggest portion of the grapefruit crop. The Star Ruby is well known for its bright ruby colour meat, loaded with juice and its flavour flawlessly sugary. Marsh on the other side is a White Grapefruit and is especially popular in Japan. Grapefruit is generally harvested between weeks 16 -23. Our preferred export markets are China, Japan, Korea, Russia and Europe.

Valencia Oranges

Valencia oranges are harvested from May to October, with its highest volumes from June through to August. Valencia oranges are usually average size (72-88 fruits per 15 kg box) and depending on the variety may have seed (Late Valencias) or be totally seedless (Delta Valencia). They are usually thin-skinned and are primarily used for juicing.

There are numerous Valencia cultivars. At Blydevallei the cultivars were selected in such a way that we can harvest the best quality fruit for the right market from May through to September and early October. The cultivars include: Turkey Valencias, Midnight Valencia, Bennie Valencia, Delta Seedless Valencia, Gusocora, Valencia Late and Lavelle Seedless Valencia. Each one of these cultivars has their own set of characteristics and special qualities. Blydevallei harvest most of their oranges between weeks 24-38.