Blueberries from the northern provinces of South Africa are starting to arrive. The first exports will start in a week or two.

“Everyone is recovering from last year's difficult season and everything is being done across all value chains to try to get a quality product out on time,” says Brent Walsh, CEO of BerriesZA.

He underlines that the impressions that the organization (representing blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) received from buyers and customers of the retail at the Fruit Logistica fair in Berlin this year indicate that they continue to bet on South African fruit.

“We have historically provided a high-quality product that undoubtedly stands apart from the competition in terms of freshness and flavor. The consumer experience with South African blueberries, we are told, is exceptional overall. "South African blueberries can be very competitive."

Last year was an anomaly, Walsh explains, with many rain events occurring very late in the year in the Western Cape, where most of South Africa's blueberries are grown. The December rains were particularly bothersome and unusual, as this is when the blueberries are harvested and shipped directly for export; while exporters encountered shipping and loading delays that compounded quality issues.

“It is understood that last year there were extenuating circumstances regarding quality, but it is extremely important to preserve the historical expectation of receiving high quality fruit from South Africa. There's not much we can do about rain, but we can monitor and control what is packaged and shipped. Thus, exporters have to do with minimizing logistical challenges. “The implications of not shipping containers on time are very considerable,” he says.

“By working on our timing and logistics, we can give buyers some certainty around arrival times and volumes, so they can manage what they have on shelves.”

Walsh's job is to make sure the cranberry industry is heard and prioritized, able to voice its needs in order to preserve its credibility and shelf life. He says the lesson learned from the past year has been to make sure to collaborate as much as possible with exporters, shippers and industry bodies like the Fresh Produce Exporters' Forum, which now has a dedicated logistics resource.

“Shipping companies are very aware of what the latest challenges have meant, but there have been some constructive conversations and there is a desire to improve logistics.”

Market access to the Far East, India and Israel

Blueberries generate a lot of export value, Walsh adds, and most of his time revolves around opening up new markets.

«A lot of work is being done with Japan right now to see how to promote the access of South African blueberries to that market. Our priority is the Far East: everyone has China on their target list because it is a country that makes a lot of sense from a volume perspective.

South Korea would be another very good market, although there are "quite a few difficulties" in opening that market. South African blueberries already have a presence in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as in some Middle Eastern countries.

Israel and India are two other potential markets they take into account. Walsh notes that the National Agricultural Government has been doing a “fantastic job” keeping them informed of the phytosanitary requirements processes that BerriesZA helps facilitate.

BerriesZA's German campaign has generated strong profits

"We have been doing the north-south route for quite some time now, we are very familiar with the EU and UK markets, which remain a priority to preserve and take care of."

As a result of the campaign that BerriesZA carried out in German specialized media last season, blueberry exports to Germany have increased quite a bit, according to Brent Walsh. This season they will once again target specific export markets at specific times.

Likewise, they have acquired data from the retail on domestic consumption of blueberries; Walsh maintains that, “without a doubt”, the South African market has not yet given its best performance.

Walsh was previously chief operating officer of the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town, before deciding to run for the role of chief executive of South Africa's berry industry body. “From an operational point of view, the truth is that there are many similarities between the Institute of Sports Sciences and BerriesZA,” he explains. “They are both nonprofit companies with a similar style of operation from a management perspective.”

«Exceptionally optimistic sector»

BerriesZA's board of directors is highly technically savvy, but they have realized that they lack an executive team to maximize the opportunities in the industry, to create additional capacity to fuel the growth of South African blueberries and let non-executive directors have time to run their farms or export businesses.

He points out that BerriesZA's general manager, Elzette Schutte, has extensive experience and contextual knowledge of the berries, with a solid knowledge of the market, so there is no need for a CEO to bring that to the organization.

“It's an exceptionally optimistic industry where everyone tries to do their best and everyone has been very open to sharing knowledge with me.”

As the 2022 blueberry harvest picks up pace, they keep an eye on logistics traffic. Delays with citrus could have consequences for summer fruit.

At least, Walsh says, container prices are starting to flatten out and container costs are starting to come down. «We are beginning to move in the right direction. Of course, we would like the movement to be faster, but at least there is the commitment and intention to improve compared to last year from an operational and logistical point of view.