The first vessel carrying South African summer citrus, the MSC Houston, is delivering the fruit from Capetown, South Africa, and is expected to arrive in the U.S. at the Port of Philadelphia this week. Weekly shipments will continue through the end of October, according to a news release. The shipping season launches with clementines followed by navel oranges and star ruby grapefruit.
As of the conclusion of the 2023 season, South African citrus exporters marked 25 years of shipping fruit to the U.S., and what’s more, shipments of citrus fruit from South Africa have more than doubled since 2019, according to a news release.
“We are officially 25 years on the sunny side and commencing into our 26th season with a healthy crop of sweet and delicious citrus fruit headed to the port of Philadelphia in the coming days and more to come throughout the summer months,” Suhanra Conradie, CEO of Summer Citrus from South Africa, said in the release.
“We are serving one of the world’s most demanding markets, and adapting to the current state of the supply chain on any given day is a key factor of our business model. We have gained much momentum with our collaborative approach and intend to keep it going in 2024,” Conradie said.
Summer Citrus from South Africa says it is positioned well to sustain shipping options to cater to the overall growth of the program, splitting its volumes equally between dedicated conventional vessels and container vessels in the Port of Philadelphia. The team’s group of focused service providers span the total supply chain in the U.S. and South Africa.
“I intend to stay in contact throughout our summer with shipping, supply chain and production updates via our Trade Newsletter, which is meant to be shared,” Conradie said. “Any stakeholder seeking to stay in close contact with our program is invited to subscribe.”