Joya® apples are bringing a fresh burst of colour, flavour and summer energy to South Africa, with the brand continuing to build meaningful momentum across the market. Following a strong 2025/2026 season, Joya® is showing clear signs of growth, relevance, and consumer connection, supported by an upbeat brand platform and a marketing strategy designed to make the apple part of everyday summer moments.

Sales performance in South Africa has been particularly encouraging, with Joya® volumes reaching 541,675kg for the 2025/2026 season — an impressive 55% increase year-on-year. This strong result sits within a wider African growth story, with total Joya® sales across the region reaching 3,319,337kg, up 145% year-on-year. Together, these figures point to a brand with growing commercial traction and strong potential for continued expansion across key African markets.

In South Africa, Joya® is being positioned as the Summer Apple: fresh, joyful, vibrant, and perfectly suited to warm-weather occasions. The creative direction centres on making Joya® feel naturally part of the season, whether enjoyed as a refreshing snack, shared during social moments, or used in simple recipes that bring a little extra brightness to the day.

The 2026/2027 marketing strategy will focus on two clear content pillars: Summer Moments and Easy Summer Recipes. These themes are designed to connect with consumers in a way that feels light, relatable, and easy to engage with. Short reels, high-energy content, and snackable storytelling will play an important role, helping to capture the feel-good spirit of summer while showing just how effortlessly Joya® apples fit into everyday life.

One of the strongest learnings from this season’s digital activity was the long-term value of creating evergreen content. Repurposing the collaboration with Chef Oli across paid campaigns unlocked the best-performing ad of the season, with exceptional comment engagement. 

The success of this creative demonstrates that high-quality, chef-led recipe content continues to resonate with consumers long after its initial release. Other evergreen assets also delivered consistently strong engagement, while recipe-led creatives topped our traffic campaigns.

The results reinforce a clear strategy moving forward: investing in authentic, personality-driven content not only builds lasting brand value, but also creates versatile assets that can continue delivering results across multiple campaigns and seasons. 

Looking ahead, the South African opportunity is clear. Joya® has the right combination of product appeal, brand personality, and seasonal relevance to keep building its presence in market. Its positioning as a bright, refreshing summer apple gives retailers and partners a compelling story to tell at shelf, while its growing sales performance confirms that consumers are responding.

Across Africa, Joya® is also gaining impressive momentum, with Nigeria delivering standout growth of 1,517,650kg, up 110% year-on-year. Planned activity in Nigeria, from tastings and games in key markets to community wellness events, fitness collaborations, school and workplace programs, and the “Joya® in My Kitchen” chef-led content series, further reinforce the brand’s strong regional potential.

For growers, licensees, and retail partners, Joya® is shaping up as a fresh, joyful and commercially exciting apple brand for Africa, one that brings flavour, energy and feel-good summer appeal to consumers across the region.