The plan is delivered in three phases over ten years, with the first five, the funded period, taking the Group from financial close to a maturing orchard base with integrated processing and distribution. The Gantt chart below sets out the critical path, milestones and dependencies. Because orchard establishment precedes bearing by several years, schedule discipline on planting, accreditation and packhouse commissioning is the backbone of the risk framework.
Critical milestones and dependencies
|
Milestone |
Timing |
Dependency / gate |
|---|---|---|
|
Financial close & first drawdown |
Year 1 Q1 |
Equity committed; conditions precedent met |
|
Nursery operational & first plantings |
Year 1 |
Land assembly; site preparation |
|
Packhouses & cold storage commissioned |
Year 2 |
Construction; power & cold-chain |
|
Export accreditation (GlobalG.A.P. etc.) |
Year 2 |
Systems, audits, PPECB |
|
First commercial exports |
Year 2–3 |
Accreditation; acquired/sourced fruit |
|
Processing plants online |
Year 3–4 |
Packhouse feed; offtake |
|
Orchards reach commercial bearing |
Year 4–5 |
Plantings maturing on schedule |
|
Exit readiness (listing/strategic) |
Year 5+ |
Mature base; governance in place |
Analyst flagThe planting schedule is the risk
Because trees bear only years after planting, any slippage in land assembly, planting or accreditation delays revenue while establishment costs and interest continue. The plan mitigates this with early acquisition of bearing orchards, third-party sourcing, staged commissioning, a debt-service reserve and contingency, but disciplined execution of the planting and accreditation schedule is the single most important operational priority.