Paradise Fruits Continues Global Expansion, Appoints New Agency in South Africa

19 May 2014 --- Paradise Fruits, the world leading group of companies in the field of fruit ingredients, freeze-drying and healthy snack solutions has recently appointed Carbocraft, a leading food ingredients and raw materials supplier, as their new agency for the South African market.

Carbocraft will be the main distribution partner covering Paradise Garden and Freeze Dried divisions, as well as the Solutions division which offers unique fruit snack products such as Pure Fruit Shapes, Fruit Juice Drops and fruit granulates for bakery and snack bar applications. Fruit Juice Drops from Paradise Fruits Solutions, are made with 80% fruit, lending them a delicious soft bite and juicy freshness, perfect as a tasty snack on their own or a novel inclusion in chocolates and bakery pre-mixes.

Initially developed for the American market, demand for these products has since rocketed in Europe and now in South Africa, stimulating the opening of an additional production line at the Paradise Fruits facility in Northern Germany. Pure Fruit Shapes are revolutionising the fruit snacking market. Naturally delicious and made from all-fruit ingredients, Pure Fruit Shapes are perfect for fruit snacking, trail mixes and cereals. Due to their high fruit content, ‘portion of fruit’ claims are also possible.  

South Africa is of interest from the food ingredients perspective because it is the leading manufacturing country on the African continent. South African lifestyles are becoming increasingly busy in tandem with growing urbanisation. This is driving consumers towards quick, convenient and healthy foods which they can snack on between meals, resulting in the rise of sweet and savoury snacks. The sweet and savoury snacks market in South Africa is expected to record a constant value CAGR of 2% over the forecast period and a volume CAGR of 4%. New product launches such as healthier alternatives and localised flavour variants are expected to be key driving forces for the category’s performance during the forecast period.

Kurt Jahncke, CEO of Paradise Fruits says: “We have seen growth in Europe, UK and North America for healthier, more natural products, and as a result we experienced a real demand for greater innovation on our part. This has led to a growing number of forms and formats that are delivered on a healthy fruit platform and we look forward to working with Carbocraft and South African companies to bring these ideas to the local market. The appointment of Carbocraft as our South African agency is part of our mission to build and align our global market identity, by working with existing and new partners to tailor specialist solutions which anticipate evolving global market needs.”

Peter Niederheitmann, Managing Director of Carbocraft, says: “Carbocraft is excited to work with an innovative and quality-oriented company such as Paradise Fruits Solutions, and we envisage a long and “fruitful” association together in South Africa. The South African healthy snacking and fruit snacking sectors are still in their infancy compared to its European and US counterparts. There is an emerging demand for products that deliver on clean label, real fruit and no artificial flavours and colours. Pure Fruit Shapes and Fruit Juice Drops offered by Paradise Fruits Solutions are the right product to satisfy this demand and we look forward to offering them in the local market.”  

Paradise Fruits has been owned and managed in the Hanseatic region of Northern Germany by five generations of the Jahncke family, of whom Kurt Jahncke is the current CEO.  He explains: “Under the Paradise Fruits umbrella we offer a range of fruit products from freeze-dried fruits and vegetables to fruit pastes and granulates that can be custom developed for specialty applications such as bakery, chocolate and snack bars. We feel that by offering a full range of fruit product formats we can find the right solution for each of our customer’s individual project needs. This also differentiates us from competitor offerings. Our mission is to work together with our business partners to draw from our 130 year heritage, build our expertise and look to the future to produce world-class products and services for our global customers and consumers.”