From Orchard Mutation to Global Success: How South Africa’s BigBucks apple passed two million trees

Elgin farmer Buks Nel still remembers the exact moment a mutant apple showed up in his orchard.  

The apple was bright red – normally a colour associated with danger; in this case it was the colour of success

The ‘BigBucks’ apple has now passed the two million tree mark – the estimated total number of BigBucks-bearing trees planted since Nel stumbled upon the mutation 14 years ago. In May, the variety passed the one million carton mark -- a significant milestone made possible by plant breeders rights and a registered trademark called Flash Gala. 

The apple is a major agricultural success story, and Nel is still basking in the memory of his happy discovery.

“I walked and walked, and I must have walked miles and miles in my orchard,” Nel said of his search for a ‘better coloured’ Gala – an apple variety discovered decades ago and popular worldwide. “We wanted one that was redder, because people like red fruit.” 

“I walked the Gala orchards, and in the end, all of a sudden, I saw one that was blood red,” Nel told Cape Chamber. 

He still remembers the exact date – January 17, 2011.  

But discovering the freak apple was just the first step; the next was to prove that it was in fact a mutation – and not a freak occurrence – by grafting buds from the ‘candidate’ tree onto another tree.  

Fortunately, Mother Nature was on their side: the blood red apple recurred, proving it was a genuine mutation.  “Then you make a few trees, and then you plant hundreds of them,” Nel explained. “Eventually you say, ah, I don’ t want somebody else to pinch it, so you ask for plant breeders rights. 

The entire process took a few years, but was worth the wait. Bigbucks is now growing its global market footprint, with inroads into both the African and Far East markets.  

“We’re handling the largest Flash Gala crop in history, and it’s also the season with the fewest quality issues,” commented Calle du Toit, procurement manager at Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing and BigBucks Growers’ Association chairperson. “We’re undoubtedly making great strides with the variety.” 

“The fact that we’ve developed and scaled a variety like Flash Gala proves that South Africa is a leader in the global apple industry,” says Calla. 

Fourteen years after his fortuitous stroll through his orchards, Nel is excited about his discovery and the subsequent trade success: “Two million trees, and I lived with it right from the first bud! That is lekker.”