CITRUSDAL, South Africa — Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) announces the kick-off of its 2024 harvesting season after successfully concluding the 2023 season earning the group twenty-five years of experience shipping citrus to the USA! This remains an exciting time for the group as shipments of citrus fruit from South Africa have more than doubled since 2019.
“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,” said Suhanra Conradie, CEO of Summer Citrus from South Africa.
The first vessel, the MSC Houston, is carrying the fruit from Capetown, South Africa, and is expected to arrive in the U.S. at the Port of Philadelphia the first week of June with weekly shipments continuing through the end of October. SCSA will kick off the shipping season with the ever-popular Clementines followed by Navel Oranges and Star Ruby Grapefruit.
“It is important that we recognize the hard work and commitment of the service providers who have been part of our continued success story,” said Conradie. “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!”
Summer Citrus from South Africa is positioned well to sustain shipping options to cater to the overall growth of the program, splitting their volumes equally between dedicated conventional vessels and container vessels in the Port of Philadelphia. The team’s group of focused service providers, spanning the total supply chain, in the U.S. and South Africa, are all primed to deliver on a successful 26th shipping season.
“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,” said Conradie. “Any stakeholder seeking to stay in close contact with our program is invited to subscribe.”
For more information and to stay up-to-date on citrus from South Africa, subscribe to the newsletter by filling out this form, or for more information, please visit www.summercitrus.com.
About Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA)
Summer Citrus from South Africa represents a group of South African citrus growers who consolidate their logistics, marketing, and sales efforts to bring the finest citrus fruit to market during the U.S. summer season. Established in 1999 and re-branded for expanded marketing efforts in 2016, the group provides Navels, Midknights, East Peelers, Star Ruby Grapefruit, and Cara-Cara oranges for the U.S. market.
