In cricketing terms one would describe the business of the Karsten Group as playing a Twenty20 match every day of the year. You start every day from scratch and you need to earn the right to be on the playing field every day of the year, says Herman Engelbrecht in an interview with Eurofruit Magazine.
The Karsten group has earned its position as South Africa’s leading grape exporter through constant focus on meeting commitments, loyalty to customers and remaining in control of cost along the value chain.
“This has helped the Group to remain competitive in an increasingly competitive world and despite the recent tough economic conditions across the world,” says Herman Engelbrecht, Managing Director of Karsten UK, which is responsible for the Group’s distribution and service delivery in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The Karsten Group’s table grape operations stretches over a distance of 250 kilometres along the Orange River, enabling it to supply customers consistently during the early season from November till the end of February. The Group’s deciduous fruit and vegetable growing operations are located further to the South in the Ceres region, where apples, pears, stone fruit, cherries, berries and onions are produced in the unique climatic conditions of the Bo-Swaarmoed.
According to Mr Engelbrecht Karsten has established an experienced and streamlined supply chain for all its products. This includes Karsten Farms, the South African farming operations, Karsten Middle East, the farming and packing operations in Egypt, New Vision Fruit, the South African marketing company, Horizon Fruit, which handles the Group’s logistics, Karsten UK, the company dealing with distribution and service provision in the UK and Europe and Newfresh, a marketing and distribution company for products exported to the Far East.
In referring to the cricketing analogy, Mr Engelbrecht says is not like playing a 5 day Test where you can make a mistake on day 1 and still win the Test at the end of day 5. “If your win/loss ratio is not good enough, you are out.”
He says the Group’s answer to questions around food security and safety is to control the growing operations, logistical operations and supply operations. “Our Group is committed to a small number of clients in the UK, Europe and the Far East. We are able to support these clients with an ever growing basket of fruit – grapes, dates, cherries, blueberries, apples, pears, citrus and pistachio nuts.”
|
