Indigo Fruit Farming was established in 2005 and specialises in the production of premium soft citrus and sub-tropical fruit (mangos, macadamias and avos) in the following regions: Letsitele, Burgersfort and Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province; Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga province; and Heidelberg, Ashton, Swellendam and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape province. This geographical diversification allows for the extension of our fruit-packing season, as well as a reduced risk exposure of our overall harvest to area-specific climatic events. Together with significant investment into water infrastructure and netting structures, this allows Indigo to be a supplier of choice for select retailers globally. Indigo takes a collaborative approach to its farming practices, and more than 30% of the orchards managed by it relate to collaborative projects with both commercial partners as well as local communities.  

Combined, the packing facilities that the ANB Group owns or co-owns represent one of the largest citrus packing operations in the country. In Limpopo and Mpumalanga, Naranja Packers, BBI and Twypack are highly specialised citrus packing facilities. These packhouses pack all fruit produced by Indigo Fruit Farming in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as well as fruit for other farmers within these regions. In the Western and Southern Cape regions, the Group’s harvest is processed by the Lucerne packhouse (Robertson) and ARISA (Swellendam), both of which are co-owned by the Group.

Throughout these five packhouses, using some of the most modern and state-of-the-art fruit packing equipment in South Africa, the Group is able to deliver against complex packing requirements and adhering to the most stringent international standards.  

Adjacent to the BBI packhouse in Hoedspruit, Baobab Processing handles the drying and processing of mangos and citrus for the local and export market.

Firstfruits and Firstpack are our own in house and external centres of excellence for technical services developed to optimise our investments in nurseries, farms and packhouses. We have a team of skilled experts in horticulture, pest and disease, continuous improvement at the heart of operations to drive improved and efficient production, packing and nursery methods through research, intelligence and optimal information application. Firstpack – a world first – provides a comprehensive one-stop specialized packhouse consulting service focussing on continuous improvement and assisting our group packing facilities to attain and maintain world class standards.

CITRII Software has developed a custom-built web and mobile communication platform focussed on the bespoke needs of soft citrus farmers, allowing farmers to implement precision farming, based on the online availability of real-time information. The system includes scouting, irrigation, spraying and census modules, providing farmers with a holistic view of their farming practices and status of their operations, thereby allowing facts-based decision making. CITRII Software acquired and is upgrading the Packsys software that is used in packhouses to manage operations, as a further critical tool in ensuring the efficient running of packing operations.

CITRII Agri Services provides a professional and specialist service to key tactical and strategic decision makers within ANB companies and its global platform partners, to place them at the cutting edge of technology and providing them with management and technical information that enables them to make informed decisions about their operations.