About FPEF
The Fresh Produce Exporters' Forum (FPEF) was registered in 1998 as a non-profit industry organization. Its membership is voluntary and open to all companies that export fresh fruit from South Africa.Whilst its membership is voluntary, strict accreditation criteria are put in place to ensure that only competent and reliable marketing agents and grower-exporters are admitted to the Forum.
The FPEF's mission is to create, within free-market principles and a deregulated environment, a prosperous but disciplined fruit-export sector. It was established primarily to provide leadership and services to its members and the international buying community.
The increased relevance of the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF)
The role of the FPEF as a reliable, meaningful and representative platform for all stakeholders in the fresh fruit export industry became more relevant throughout 2010. More local and international industry sectors are engaging with the company at different levels. A number of producer-exporters joined, and the FPEF membership represents close to 80% of all citrus and deciduous fruit exported from South Africa today. In the past year, the company also channeled significant funding from supermarkets, the Commonwealth, embassies and particularly the Department of Trade and Industry (dti).
The FPEF team
The FPEF has established itself as the innovative, yet responsible custodian of the interest of its 76 members. This is largely attributable to its small team of highly motivated and efficient individuals. Sandra Baetsen, Kathy O’Grady, Marinda Roux, Junette Davids and Colleen Chennells deserve special mention for the passionate and committed manner in which they tackled challenges, found solutions and success in their specific areas of activity.
Expansion and empowerment of the Board
An important development within the FPEF is the expansion and empowerment of its Board. The FPEF would ultimately like to have a healthy composition of Board members that fairly reflects the demographics of our country and industry. It now has the dti, the main strategic partner to the FPEF in South Africa, as observer member. Starting in November 2010, the Board will increase to incorporate a minimum number of previously disadvantaged individuals, including women. The expansion of the Board aligns the FPEF with government policy and positions the company appropriately to lead the industry towards transformation.