The Value of the Informal Stone Fruit Market Campaign

Text and pictures: Sylvester Moatshe

The market development campaigns for stone fruit and pome fruit are designed to drive sustainable demand, increase awareness, and grow consumption of South African produce, while supporting long-term industry growth across key domestic and international markets.

Internationally, the campaigns aim to position South Africa as the preferred Southern Hemisphere supplier, while in the local South African market, the focus is on driving category consumption, increasing in-store visibility of stone fruit and consumer education.

A multi-channel marketing strategy is implemented to ensure effective engagement across multiple platforms and touchpoints, both online and offline. This integrated approach delivers consistent messaging while connecting with consumers and trade partners where they are most active.

On 30 January 2026, Hortgro’s Sylvester Moatshe and Wilechia van der Westhuizen visited the Johannesburg informal market as part of the ongoing Local Informal Market Campaign.

The purpose of the visit was to document and capture the promotion of plums and other stone fruit within informal trading spaces. This initiative aims to better understand how locally produced fruit is promoted, accessed, and consumed within urban communities, where informal markets play a critical role in daily food supply. Alongside this promotion, the initiative also serves as a trader education campaign, helping informal traders run their businesses successfully.

The visit was led by Ruth Behr, a Promofresh representative, who guided the team through the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market and facilitated meetings with RSA Market agents and industry stakeholders, including representatives from Magalies Citrus.

Her insights and connections along the value chain provided valuable context on how stone fruit moves through formal market systems before reaching informal traders. From the formal market floor, the group continued their journey into the Johannesburg CBD’s informal trading areas.

In informal market spaces, plums were sold openly at reasonable, accessible prices, attracting strong interest from both traders and consumers.

In addition, Ruth advises traders on handling and ripening plums and shares some marketing tips.

Engaging directly with buyers and sellers highlighted the widespread appreciation for fresh fruit and its importance in everyday diets for both children and adults. Witnessing the journey of fruit, from the ground to the market and ultimately into households, offered a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of formal and informal markets in supporting nutrition, livelihoods, and healthy eating across communities.

Follow Ruth and the informal stone fruit market campaign here.