The South African apple market is celebrating steady growth on its 363rd birthday. On this day in history, the industry harvested its first two apples. Today, South Africa is one of the Southern Hemisphere’s top apple exporters, trading nearly 50 million cartons annually—a cornerstone of the country’s agricultural economy.

Tru-Cape South Africa, the country’s largest pome marketer, reminds the agricultural industry that on April 17, 1662, Dutch Governor Jan van Riebeeck made a humble but historic diary entry in the Company Gardens in Cape Town: “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… This type of apple is known as a Wijnappel.”

Photo courtesy of Tru-Cape

Every year on this date, Tru-Cape celebrates the milestone and honors the roots of the apple industry.

According to Henk Griessel, Tru-Cape’s quality assurance manager and co-author of Early Apples at The Cape, the date is one every South African apple grower should remember.

“It’s where our story began. The fact that Tru-Cape continues to preserve older varieties in our Heritage Orchard at Oak Valley Estate in Grabouw shows our commitment to honouring the past while preparing for the future,” Griessel said.

To celebrate, Tru-Cape invites all South Africans to bite into a fresh, locally grown apple “and reflect on over three centuries of dedication, growth, and innovation in our fruit industry.”