The South African fresh fruit supply chain is very long. From the point of picking, fruit travels through a variety of links before it ends up at the consumer. The cold chain commences the moment fruit is cooled, soon after harvesting. Without the cold chain, exports will not be possible – fruit quality and shelf life depends upon it. The entire supply chain is also a value chain. As fruit is moved along the chain, its value steadily increases and so does the financial risk to the producer and exporter. The goal is always to deliver the best quality and achieve the highest return on investment.