Exporters Western Cape (EWC) hosted a site visit to Indigo Berry Farms by a high-level delegation of 24 directors from France, representing Crédit Agricole Languedoc. The delegation is on a learning and exchange mission focused on agriculture, agribusiness financing and farm sustainability, with particular emphasis on understanding cost structures, labour models and production efficiencies in export-oriented farming systems.
Crédit Agricole Languedoc, a specialist agricultural bank, is operating in a challenging European environment marked by rising labour and input costs. The visit aimed to better understand how South African producers manage these pressures while remaining globally competitive.
The delegation was hosted at Indigo Berry Farms outside Wellington, a 62-hectare operation employing approximately 300 permanent staff, expanding to around 1 300 workers during peak harvesting season - a scale that proved striking for the visitors. In France, most farms are family-owned and significantly smaller, with five hectares considered a large operation.
According to Terry Gale, chairman of Exporters Western Cape, South Africa has established itself as a reputable berry exporter, with annual volumes exceeding 23 000 tonnes. While this is comparable to only approximately one week of exports from Peru, it reflects South Africa’s deliberate strategic focus on quality rather than volume.
“As a relatively young industry, South Africa benefits from access to the latest berry genetics, carefully matched to growing regions across the Western Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga and supported by well-established export supply chains via both air and sea,” said Gale.
Berry production in South Africa expanded rapidly in earlier years and is now growing organically at around 5% per year, with the industry having built a strong reputation over the past five years for producing high-quality fruit for international markets.
Gale said the delegation’s response was overwhelmingly positive, with robust engagement and detailed discussions aimed at helping French agricultural financiers better understand how capital can be effectively deployed in modern farming systems.
“This visit was a strong endorsement of South Africa’s agricultural capability. It reinforced the message that the Western Cape is open for business, innovative and globally competitive,” concluded Gale.
About Exporters Western Cape
Exporters Western Cape is a non-profit organisation established in 1979 to support and promote active, sustainable exporting in the Western Cape.
The organisation provides a trusted platform for exporters and stakeholders across the trade ecosystem to connect, share knowledge and engage on key issues affecting export growth. Through a programme of informative and interactive networking events, Exporters Western Cape facilitates dialogue between business, government and trade associations, while signposting both new and established exporters to relevant expertise, insights and market opportunities.
