CITRUSDAL, SOUTH AFRICA — Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) began its 2024 harvesting season this month, marking its 25th anniversary of shipping citrus to the United States.

“We are officially 25 years on the sunny side and commencing into our 26th season with a healthy crop of sweet and delicious citrus fruit headed to the port of Philadelphia in the coming days and more to come throughout the summer months,” said Suhanra Conradie, CEO of SCSA.

According to the organization, citrus fruit shipments from South Africa have more than doubled since 2019.

“It is important that we recognize the hard work and commitment of the service providers who have been part of our continued success story,” Conradie said.  “We are serving one of the world’s most demanding markets, and adapting to the current state of the supply chain on any given day is a key factor of our business model. We have gained much momentum with our collaborative approach and intend to keep it going in 2024!”

SCSA said weekly shipments from Capetown to the Port of Philadelphia began in June and will continue through the end of October.

The first fruits to ship are clementines, followed by navel oranges and Star Ruby grapefruit.

“I intend to stay in contact throughout our summer with shipping, supply chain, and production updates via our Trade Newsletter, which is meant to be shared,” Conradie said. “Any stakeholder seeking to stay in close contact with our program is invited to subscribe.”