Cape Gooseberries: The Next Big Superfood Trend?

The rising demand for healthy food has sparked a growing demand for cape gooseberries. William Pulles of Keisie Valley Gooseberries spoke to Glenneis Kriel about his farming enterprise.

- Glenneis Kriel

In 2004, in an attempt to escape the rush and stresses of life in Johannesburg, William and Karin Pulles bought an ostrich farm near Prince Albert in the Western Cape.

Eight years later, following the avian influenza outbreak and the closure of international markets, they decided to seek an alternative to ostrich production, and bought a 53ha farm near Montagu in the Keisie Valley.

Only 8,5ha of the farm were arable, however, and these were already under apricot and wine grapes. Because these crops were not commercially viable on such a small area, the couple started looking at high-value alternatives. Cape gooseberries (Physalis peruviana) proved to be the answer.

“We didn’t intend to farm gooseberries when we bought the farm. But a small patch of these berries was already growing here, which helped convince us to expand production,” says Pulles.

TOMORROW’S SUPERFOOD

The decision was spot on, as cape gooseberries have been identified as the next big superfood due to their high nutritional levels. In 2018, for example, food multinational Nestlé acquired a 60% stake in South America-based Terrafertil, the world’s largest buyer of cape gooseberries.

“If blueberries are a superfood, then cape gooseberries are a super-superfood,” says Pulles. The berries of P. peruviana, unlike most other berry species, have a high fat level, which makes them excellent carriers of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. With a high pectin content, they are also ideal for processing.

Unlike the English gooseberry, which does not have a husk, the cape gooseberry is part of the nightshade family, of which tomatoes, potatoes and peppers are also members. In fact, Pulles irrigates and fertilises the plants in much the same way as tomatoes.