About us
SKC Surat & Co Ltd has been the trusted partner of Mauritians for fresh fruits and vegetables for forty years. With our carefully cultivated network of local growers and international suppliers, we maintain a consistent, year-round supply of diverse, high-quality produce.
Our organization leverages extensive industry expertise to optimize procurement, ensuring competitive pricing without compromising on quality – advantages we systematically transfer to our clientele. We serve the full spectrum of the Mauritian market, from wholesale distributors to hospitality groups, retail supermarket chain to local wet markets and more, demonstrating our capability to cater for different client requirements within our wide market coverage.
At the heart of our operation lies a modern processing and storage facilities, where we uphold high standards of freshness and food safety. As an HACCP-certified organization, our commitment extends from field to fork, ensuring that only the best products reach our customers’ tables every day.
It all started in the late 50s when the founder and patriarch, the late Sooklall Surat, laid the foundation of this enterprise through the cultivation of local produce. His son, Shyam Surat, later joined the business, expanding its operations into the importation of fruits and vegetables. Today, he serves as the Group’s Chairman, and under his leadership, the group has evolved from those modest origins into a business of more than 300 people, generating an annual turnover in excess of MUR 1 Billion.
Key milestones reached during this journey were:
- 1960s: Implementation of a distribution network around the island.
- 1970s: Import of fruits and the construction of the first cold room.
- 1980s: Further investment in storage facilities and logistics. The business was incorporated as SKC Surat & Co Ltd in 1985.
- 1990s: Import from South Africa following the abolition of trade restrictions. Regional expansion in Reunion Island with the opening of SKC Fruits Reunion
- 21st Century:
Further expansion and acquisition of new resources.
A whole range of new projects materialized:- Agreement reached with Reunion farmers for regular exchange with their Mauritian counterparts and capacity building to improve agricultural techniques and more efficient field and crop management.
- Opening of our new distribution centre at Wooton in 2005.
- The company invested upstream in greenhouses, with the first crops harvested early in 2014.
- The company became HACCP certified in 2014.
- Launch of our ‘AtoZ Fruit & Veg’ brand in 2016, now a trusted consumer name sold in all retail outlets across the island.
- 2017: Materialization of the local cultivation of fruits and vegetables using Good Agricultural Practices (MauriGAP/SKC SAFER) by our pool of 75+ growers.
- 2024: Launch of our large-scale Banana project in collaboration with a few major contract growers.
Mission:
To remain the undisputed market leader in the industry while offering services of the highest environmental and social standards.
Vision:
To contribute towards a Healthy Mauritius by distributing quality products at affordable prices and maximizing returns for all our stakeholders.
