History

 
The Karsten Group owns eight fruit farms along the Orange River, all located over a distance of 300 km’s from Klein Pella in the west to Roepersfontein near Upington. Each farm comprises of an independent production centre with packing facilities and supporting infra-structure. The Orange River farms produce table grapes, citrus fruit, dates, melons and water melons. In 2000 the Group acquired a deciduous fruit and vegetable farm in a unique climatic region at Ceres in the Western Cape where farming activities are focused on apples, pears, cherries, berries and onions.

The total land irrigated by Karsten Boerdery (Pty) Ltd is 866 ha of which 618ha consists of Table Grape vineyards, 87ha of Date orchards, 50ha of Citrus, 84ha of Raisins and 27ha of Melons and Water melons.

In 2004 New Vision Fruit was established as the export and logistics arm of the Karsten Group, fulfilling the Group’s vision to control its own product. More recently the marketing and logistics functions in New Vision Fruit were separated with the creation of a new logistics company, Horizon Fruits, in partnership with other fruit exporters. Located in Durbanville, north of Cape Town, Pieter Karsten Jnr has build New Vision Fruit into a streamlined, focus export company that can compete with the best around the world.

Karsten UK was established in 2005 as the distribution service provider of the Group in the United Kingdom and Europe. Although Karsten UK has achieved major success in the Group’s objectives to serve its clients in the UK directly.

Since 2002 the Group has build up a vast pool of knowledge and experience in Egypt, producing, packing and exporting grapes from its own grape vineyards and in partnership with other growers and exporters. It has established its own cooling and packing facilities. In addition to the production of table grapes, the Group is also involved in a project to produce substantial amounts of biodiesel from oil seeds, harvested from desert plants cultivated on large tracts of desert land.