Exotic Vegetables in South Africa and Europe
An excellent example of how global trade can benefit developing countries is the case of a Mozambican company called Mozfoods that specializes in the production of exotic vegetables for export to South Africa and Europe under the Vandruzi brand. This brand is well known as the baby corn specialist in Africa, where they grow true Thai varieties in order to produce the highest quality vegetables.
The company has now added gooseberries and passionfruit to its line of products for the first time. Vandruzi exports three refrigerated 30t trucks every week during low season, and those volumes double during the peak season, with products shipped through Johannesburg or Tambo airports directly to the UK, Iberian Peninsula and the Netherlands. All of their products are grown under the standard certifications that European customers require and their pack house is BRC accredited. They are also working on getting a Fair Trade certification, with an audit set to held in the 2nd quarter of the year.