In2Food in South Africa ensures premium-quality cut fruit reaches shelves at high-end retailers within 48 hours, writes Fresh Plaza.
This large-scale operation, which supports nearly 10 000 employees—primarily women—in South Africa, supplies premium retailers like Marks & Spencer in the UK and Woolworths in South Africa.
Working with both local and imported fruit, In2Food processes around 3 700 tonnes of pineapple, 7 580 tonnes of watermelon, and 4 412 tonnes of mango annually at its South African facilities.
“We prepare the fruit daily, it flies overnight and gets into the UK depot the next day and will be on the shelves in the Marks & Spencer store within two days,” says Nerina Hopkins, In2Food’s Manager of Produce and Juice.
“During our peak season, we airfreight over 25 tonnes of cut fruit per day.”
In peak season, dedicated growers in South Africa supply varieties like seedless watermelon, green melon, and orange melon, as well as a recently-introduced yellow watermelon variety.
Focus on seasonal fruit and local produce
In2Food sources pineapples year-round from KwaZulu-Natal and adjusts its product offerings based on seasonal availability.
“In the winter we’ll switch to papaya and citrus fruit, then we’ll switch to berries if we have it in season,” said Emma Schoeman, category head for produce at In2Food.
“For vegetables, butternut is huge for us, it is South Africa’s favourite vegetable.”
The company maintains contracts with growers across South Africa, selecting and testing new varieties to meet evolving consumer demands.
They also use a mix of other fruit, such as table grapes and kiwi fruit.
In2Food has nine sites across the Republic. This includes four in Gauteng and five in the Western Cape.
“We have over a thousand different products, from cut fruit to prepared salads, prepared vegetables, fresh juice, prepared meals, ready to cook soups, prepared soups, deli and party foods,” Schoeman added.
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