SOGA Organic is a proudly South African, certified organic citrus processor. We are a small niche enterprise that only processes fruit from the SOGA (Sundays Organic Growers Association) Group.
SOGA was formed in 2005 when a group of South African organic citrus farmers got together to cooperate with each other in respect of research, packing, logistics and marketing to grow and supply superior citrus to our customers around the world. In previous years the processing was outsourced however as from 2012 we have brought it in-house to within SOGA, to improve quality and standards.
The lion’s share of fresh fruit from the SOGA growers is exported to existing markets abroad and small volumes are sold on the local market. About 30% of the annual harvest is allocated to producing unique and healthy juice products for the international wholesale markets and the local retail market in South Africa.
Yes. All citrus is grown, processed and packaged by SOGA Organic in the Sundays River Valley, Eastern Cape. We only process citrus from the four SOGA Growers to ensure the best quality and integrity of all our products.
Lemon, Orange (Navel and Valencia oranges), Ruby Grapefruit and Mandarin (Naartjie).
Certified Organic means the farmers or producers of the food or product have undergone an official and industry-recognised — and often very costly — process of application, inspection, compliance and authentication that certifies their products are Certified Organic. This Certified Organic accreditation is your only guarantee that the product has truly been produced free of harmful chemicals and pesticides.
SOGA Organic juice is not just Organic, it is Certified Organic. Currently, South Africa has no legislation, regulation or standard controlling organic agriculture production in South Africa. This means that anyone can use the word ”Organic” on their products which unfortunately opens the door for potential abuse. So until this legislation has been passed, it is your responsibility as a consumer to KNOW what you are buying.
Certified Organic producers and processors are subject to rigorous announced – and unannounced – certification inspections by third-party inspectors to ensure that they are producing and processing organic products in a manner you and your family can trust.
To be certified organic your products need to be certified by a registered body and carry the EU Certification and/or USDA organic seal. These are the certification symbols you WANT to see on retail labels. “A symbol of product integrity that you can trust.”
The organic industry in South Africa is still very much self-regulated and there are no laws that govern the use of the word ‘organic’ on products. Unscrupulous manufacturers indiscriminately put these labels on their products — and get away with doing it. However, you can protect yourself to a certain extent.
Firstly, we advise that you carefully check labels for the names and logos of legitimate certification organizations such as Ecocert or Control Union. Because certification is a complex, lengthy and expensive process for the farmer, producer or manufacturer, you can generally trust that he has complied with the necessary regulations to obtain it, and that the organization is monitoring the use of its name and logos. If you cannot find the name or logo but the product claims to be organic, phone the manufacturer and ask which certifying organization it uses.
Food grown in healthier soil, with natural fertilizers and no harmful chemicals, is quite simply more nutritious, and as an added boon, will not load you up with dangerous toxins that can destroy your health.
All SOGA Organic frozen citrus juice products have Vitamin C levels of over 40mg/100ml, so just a small dose will provide you with your recommended daily allowance and keep colds and flu away naturally. See product labels for more information.
Quality and food safety is very important at SOGA Organic. Our concern is not only the supervision of fresh produce orchards, but also strict production processes to ensure the most fresh and high quality products at the best price.
- Certified Organic by Control Union for EU and USDA–NOP
- BRCGS (Brand Reputable Compliance Global Standards)
- PPECB (Perishable Products Export Control Board)
All SOGA Organic juice is not-from-concentrate… Just squeezed & freezed. Not-from-concentrate means that no water has been added in the process, so you can enjoy pure orange juice, like nature intended.
Compared to juice made from concentrate, nothing is added to SOGA Organic NFC juice – No preservatives, no additives, no colourants, no flavourings, no sugar, NO WATER.
With The world’s water integrity under threat, you can be assured that the only water in SOGA Organic NFC juice is the water in the fruit.
SOGA Organic juice is a “low pulp” juice. Most of the pulp is extracted with a fine sieve to ensure that you get more juice and less pulp.
SOGA Organic is the only certified organic citrus processor in South Africa. All citrus is grown by SOGA growers, processed and packaged by SOGA Organic. All our wholesale and retail products are certified organic by Control Union – the only certified organic citrus in South Africa.
The only Ingredient is the product & the product the only ingredient – Just squeezed & freezed®. A single Ingredient product you can trust.
- No pesticide residues
- No preservatives
- No additives
- No colouring or flavouring
- No sugar added
- No water added
Not-from-concentrate (NFC)
If kept frozen at -18°C it has a shelf life of two (2) years.
Once defrosted, keep refrigerated unopened and consume within fourteen (14) days. Once opened, consume within 3 Days.
This is not recommended as flavour and taste might change. Once defrosted, keep refrigerated unopened and consume within fourteen (14) days. Once opened, consume within 3 Days.
Besides our wholesale NFC Citrus Juice and Citrus Oils, we offer a variety of Frozen citrus juice retail products. December 2015 saw the launch of the first and only Certified Organic Frozen Citrus Juice products on the local retail market.
SOGA Organic Retail Products include:
- Frozen Orange Juice (250ml and 1 L PET1 bottle AND 500ml PLA Biodegradable bottle)
- Frozen Orange Rocket (100ml squeeze tube AND 10 x 100ml Multipack)
- Frozen Lemon Juice (24 x 10ml sachets in re-sealable Pouch AND 250ml PET1 bottle)
- Frozen Ruby Grapefruit Juice (250ml PET1 bottle)
- Frozen Naartjie Juice (250ml PET1 bottle)
Besides our retail products, we produce and wholesale top quality single strength Certified Organic NFC (Not-from-concentrate) Citrus Juice packaged in 200 Kg drums or 20 Kg pails (MOQ 200Kg) and Citrus oils packaged in 182 Kg drums.
For sure. SOGA Organic is a small dynamic enterprise, always looking for new and innovative products to launch. Since launching our first two retail products in December 2015, we have introduced a new unique frozen citrus juice product every year.
In the development of our retail product range, we were acutely aware of the impact on the environment. However, finding any alternative to plastic remains a challenge. Being frozen citrus juice products, we had no option but to make some compromises. Metal and glass bottles were both problematic when it came to freezing, and freezing our product is critical in our process as it obviates the need to add any preservatives.
The development of 100% recyclable or biodegradable food-safe containers, that can withstand very low temperatures for long periods of time, is a challenge. However, we are always looking for new and improved packaging to be gentler on the environment.
All outer cartons used for bulk packaging of our retail products are manufactured with recycled fluting and liner paper.
For more detailed information see our Packaging Statement
SOGA Organic strives to exceed customer expectations by offering premium quality products at the most competitive price.
SOGA Organic offers premium quality products at the most competitive price. When supplying our stockists nationwide we recommend a fair retail selling price (RSP), however we cannot dictate what our stockists sell our products for.
No, sorry. SOGA Organic retail products are only available through selected stockists nationwide or bulk sales via our Online shop
The lion’s share of fresh fruit from the SOGA growers is exported to existing markets abroad and small volumes are sold on the local market, with SRCC (Sundays River Citrus Company) handling the fresh fruit packing and marketing. In South Africa our fresh fruit is currently only available at Jacksons Real Food Market in Johannesburg, however we would like to see more local retailers selling SOGA Organic certified organic fresh citrus. The citrus season in South Africa runs from April to September.
About 30% of the annual harvest is allocated to producing unique and healthy juice products for the international wholesale markets and the local retail market in South Africa.
Citrus trees are known to mutate spontaneously, and often. The result of this is that thousands of different cultivars are grown around the world, showing many different fruit characteristics. For example, a spontaneous mutation led to the famous Blood Oranges, grown in Sicily, and loved by consumers all over the world. Other mutations led to smooth skin lemons, as compared to the rough lemons in so many people’s back yards. I do not think that anyone really knows what the original orange looked like – they have changed so much over the centuries they have been grown.
Some oranges and lemons also changed and stopped producing big seeds -although in some instances, you can still find very small undeveloped seeds in these
so-called seedless varieties. Seedless lemons are one of many types of seedless citrus fruits.
There is an exclusion in organic farming for farmers to use genetically modified organisms, but seedless varieties are not genetically modified.
Hybrid seeds are not specifically excluded from organic cultivation – as long as these seeds are produced using traditional plant breeding techniques, and not genetic modification, as the term is usually used.
Organic farming certification is based upon whether the SYSTEM of cultivation is organic, and not on any one particular element of farming.
The seedless lemons grown and supplied by SOGA Organic are organic. We have been growing them for 24 years, and have been inspected annually by independent overseas specialist certification bodies.