Fruit & Veg City, fresh produce retailer, has more than 100 stores in Southern Africa and Australia.
Being a business that prides itself on offering quality to its customers, it comes as no surprise that this is also the most important aspect that Fruit & Veg City expects its suppliers to comply with.
Vito Polera, spokesperson for Fruit & Veg City, says besides being in possession of the required certification for their specific products, suppliers must ensure that their products are of the best quality.
“To achieve and maintain that quality, we work very closely with our suppliers to assist them with product development and refinement,” says Polera.
He refutes the notion that the company only procures from those businesses in the produce sector.
“We welcome suppliers for all facets of our business, not just fruit and vegetables. Our product offering includes bakeries, butcheries and deli foods.”
Polera says both start-up and established businesses are welcome to apply to become a supplier.
Fruit & Veg City was started in 1993 by brothers Brian and Mike Coppin, whose vision was to create a store that would resemble a marketplace of old, where farmers brought their fresh produce from their farms to be sold to the public.
This was how their first store in Kenilworth in Cape Town was run, and this is how every Fruit & Veg City store that has opened since is also run.
Today there are more than 100 Fruit & Veg City stores throughout Southern Africa.
The fruit and vegetable company also has stores as far afield as Australia.
In recent years, it has fine-tuned its offering to include expansion into Africa.
It has also added a liquor brand called Market Liquors through its acquisition of Diamond Liquors, and took the forecourt retail convenience business by storm with its FreshStop stores located on Caltex forecourts.
- Businesses owners who want to become suppliers can make contact via and state the product or service that they wish to supply. Their applications will then be directed to the appropriate person.