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The Karsten Group
>> The Karsten Group “Water from the mighty Orange River, sunny winter days and hot, dry summers, kilometer upon kilometer of vines that thrive in the rich desert soils to bring forth the sweetest grapes imaginable! And happy and prosperous people who share in the reward!” This is the vision on which Piet Karsten founded his very successful fruit growing business. The Karsten Group is one of South Africa's leading agri-businesses respected both locally and internationally for the excellence of its products, cutting edge innovation and integrity in its dealings with staff, service providers and customers. The Karsten Group is founded on the Karsten Family Trust, which is the majority shareholder.   
The head quarters of the Karsten Group are located at Roepersfontein, near Kanoneiland and west of Upington along the Orange River in South Africa's Northern Cape region. Here the founder of the Karsten Group, Piet Karsten, founded a grape growing and exporting business which has received acclaim from around the world. The Group's Orange River business is based on ten farms, stretching over 300 kilometres from Klein Pella in the West to Kanoneiland in the east. Over time the Karsten group became South Africa's leading grape grower and strategically invested in its own marketing and distribution infra-structure, establishing its own South African and European marketing companies, New Vision and Karsten UK, as well as a logistical services company, Horizon Fruits. The Karsten Group now has a strong logistics and international marketing structure with companies and offices in London, Egypt and Cape Town. In partnership with other South Africans the Karsten Group has also established a marketing structure to promote and market its products in the Far and Middle East. In recent years the Karsten Group expanded its production of dates and moved into citrus fruit, pomegranates and nuts in the Orange River. In order to supply its customers with table grapes over an extended period, the Karsten Group also established partnerships in production and marketing in Egypt.   
The Karsten Group has not only made the most of opportunities for fruit and vegetable production in South Africa, but also applied its expertise overseas to develop partnerships to compliment and extend the marketing of its products. A strong partnership exists with the South African Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Outside South Africa the Karsten Group now has partnerships in grape production in Namibia and Egypt and supply agreements with growers in Chile. All activities of the Karsten Group are based on the principles of applying Good Agricultural Practices and caring for a sensitive environment where technically advanced production practices exist in harmony with nature. Food safety and environmental policies conform with the highest international standards. The Karsten Group invests in the development of world class people. The Group provides seasonal and permanent employment for a large community of people in South Africa's poorest regions. All workers share in benefits such as training and development programmes which is offered in association with institutions such as the International Finance Corporation. Two important initiatives in people empowerment, namely Keboes Fruit Farms and Mosplaas Citrus, both in the Orange River region, where workers will hold significant shareholding, are part of the Karsten business. The Karsten Group pioneered the export of Fairtrade Branded grapes from South Africa. Raap en Skraap, which is owned by Keboes Farms, has Fairtrade certification and workers benefit from premiums received from the marketing of the fruit. While Raap en Skraap has almost been developed to its full potential and in the most recent season for the first time packed a million cartons of grapes for export, Mosplaas Citrus is still very much in the development phase. The future development will see 350 hectares of citrus trees being planted on what was previously arid semi-desert land.   
The Karsten Group offer many social and other benefits to the large community of people working for them. Preschool care, bursary and study schemes for children of workers, and housing for both permanent staff and temporary workers are basic benefits. Health care includes clinics on all farms and a comprehensive HIV/Aids strategy. Community life is enhanced through recreational facilities, and programmes to promote a balanced life-style and religious care and freedom amongst all. Community involvement by the Group includes special gardening programmes at schools in the region, as well as a project to establish training centres in the communities of seasonal workers who work for the group. Contact us: |
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