Our roots date back to the Spring of 1652 when the Dutch East India Company founded the Cape of Good Hope as a refreshment outpost for its passing ships. Deciduous fruit trees were planted to supply ships with fresh fruit. On April 17, 1662, the first two ripe apples were picked at the Cape; they were Witte Wijn Appels. Stone fruit and pears followed. Gradually small farmers started experimenting with other top fruit crops and sold their produce to passing ships.

The South African fruit export industry was “founded” by Percy Molteno in 1892 when he successfully exported a small consignment of peaches to the United Kingdom, that was sold at Covent Garden Market.  Hereafter, the fruit export market blossomed and by 1903 more than 22 000 fruit packages were being exported.

After years of exporting individually, the deciduous fruit producers realised they needed a governing body to offer support and the Deciduous Fruit Exchange (1926) was established. This was later adapted to the Deciduous Fruit Board (1939), Universal Fruit Trade Co-operative (1987), Unifruco (1989), Deciduous Fruit Producers’ Trust (1997) and ultimately HORTGRO (2013).

At HORTGRO we focus on production, research and technology, communication, trade and markets, sustainable farming, and transformation within the deciduous fruit industry. Download a timeline of our history here:

Our Board of Directors: left to right Anton Rabe |Executive Director; Unati Speirs | External Director; Nicholas Dicey | Hortgro Chairperson & Hortgro Pome Director; Angelo Petersen | External Director; Andre Smit |Hortgro Stone Director

Hortgro is the South African deciduous fruit industry’s knowledge partner. We aim to keep our growers informed, to help them grow, and to sustainably transform the industry. At the same time, we care about where our food comes from and how it is produced. We care about the people in our industry and the environment. We set high standards for ourselves in what we do. We encourage our growers to do the same and abide by independent certification from ethical standards organisations.

The aim is simple – to supply the best-tasting high-quality fruit produced under safe working conditions and within fair labour practices while also considering Mother Nature. Hortgro actively participates in industry forums addressing social, ethical, health and safety, and environmental issues. Download our vision and mission infographic here: Hortgro Infographic Pome Stone.

Hortgro is part of the bigger Fruit South Africa (FSA) family. We subscribe to the FSA Value Statement. Please download it here: Fruit SA Values Statement.

SIZA

We encourage our growers to subscribe to the Sustainability Initiative of South Africa (SIZA) – a platform for agricultural stakeholders to ensure ethical and environmentally sustainable trade. SIZA monitors and cares for the environment and compliance with labour legislation. Find out more, here: https://siza.co.za/

Modern Slavery

Many people might think they heard wrong when we mention the concept of ‘modern slavery’. Unfortunately, unlawful labour practices continue to pose a real challenge and devastate lives. Modern slavery is real. At Hortgro, we encourage all our growers to support the Stronger Together initiative to help eliminate modern slavery in all its forms. Identifying and eradicating modern slavery and unlawful practices is something everyone in the industry should strive for. Find more information here: https://www.stronger2gether.org/za/

Confronting Climate Change

The Confronting Climate Change (CCC) initiative is a carbon footprint project developed to support the South African fruit sector by identifying and responding to the risks and opportunities associated with carbon emissions.
Find more information here: https://www.climatefruitandwine.co.za/

DISCLAIMER: All the information on this website is issued by HORTGRO (Pty) Ltd (Reg no. 2005/010343/07).  Whilst all care has been taken in the provision of the information in this website/document, this information is provided without liability to us, our affiliates or any officers or employees of ours. Please find the full disclaimer per the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013. (Act 4 of 2013) here Hortgro_Popia_2024 and Hortgro Information Disclaimer_2025