Tru-Cape marks the picking of the first apples at the Cape
Henk Griessel and Buks Nel, authors of Apples in the Early Days at The Cape about historic varieties.
Three hundred and fifty two years ago, at the Company Gardens, Cape Town, Jan van Riebeeck picked the first apples.
According to Tru-Cape’s Quality Assurance Manager Henk Griessel and co-author with Tru-Cape varietal expert Buks Nel of Early Apples at The Cape, on the 17th of April 1662 Jan van Riebeeck made this historic entry in his diary: “Heavy drizzle in the morning and a strong north-westerly wind blowing in from the sea. Today the first two ripe Dutch apples were picked in the Company’s nursery garden. They came from a little tree no more than 1.5 meters. This type of apple is known as a Wijnappel. Griessel says that the first apple weighed between 165g and 180g. “It was a historic day and date to be remembered by every South African apple grower. We hope that our replanting of some of the older varieties in the Tru-Cape Heritage Orchard at Oak Valley Estate, Grabouw will be seen to be as significant in years to come.”
Tru-Cape markets 1 376 470 875 apples and pears each year, equivalent to 224 Jumbo Jets or 950 Blue Whales.
