Will efforts to protect late mandarin brands succeed? Strict licensing agreements are being put in place to ensure the long-term sustainability of a raft of new citrus varieties

摘要

THE South African citrus industry is waiting with a great deal of anticipation to see if the latest effort to launch branded varieties on the international market will be successful. The new series of late mandarins is strictly controlled by Citrogoldand the Prestige Mandarin Club (PMC) in a move which many people see as the only way to ensure long-term success for these cultivars. The process of identifying who the licensees for marketing will be has stirred interest from across the Atlantic, wherein the US, the big three importers have all been fighting their secret battles to be amongst the lucky ones. UK retailers have also been putting pressure on their category managers "to get the fruit". The launching of new names such as ClemenGold, Clemen'Or and others is, in certain circles, being compared to the arrival on the world's markets of Pink Lady, that magical apple which is being threatened by the marketing of the "Pink Apple" by those who refuse to pay the Pink Lady promotional levy.