Cape Town - A plan to import 400 German Christmas trees to sell in Cape Town went awry after a documentation mishap saw the trees end up in Durban before being shipped to the Mother City where they arrived nearly three weeks too late for anxious customers who had cancelled their orders and made alternative plans.
Nevertheless, the two German businesswomen behind the importation of the genuine and environmentally-friendly Nordmann Christmas trees have rescued victory from the jaws of defeat with a plan to sell the trees on a first come first buy basis and to donate the proceeds to charity.
Mother and daughter duo Sylvia and Elfi Bösinger, the brains behind the plan, own the Paarden Eiland flower import firm Yes! Exclusive Flowers.
Sylvia told the Cape Argus in a telephone call that the plan to import the trees was hatched after meeting Bernd Schraderin, the fourth-generation owner of the environmentally friendly Schradernursery, in Cape Town this past spring.
The 4-metre high trees, which can only be found in the woods of Europe, had been sold in advance to customers who had ordered them as a pre-Christmas surprise for their families and friends.
Sylvia said: “Little did we know that the refrigerated container ship that was meant to arrive latest in early December, only arrived at Cape Town harbour on December 13 after first going to Durban.
“Why a vessel from Europe would pass Cape Town to first land in Durban could also not be clarified by our clearing agent.”
Sylvia said the documentation mishap had been caused by confusion in interpreting the import documents by the agriculture departments both in Germany and South Africa.
The women have offered to give the trees away on condition takers make a donation to support The Homestead – a Programme for Cape Town street children.
The trees can be picked up from their business premises at 33 Section Street in Paarden Eiland, Cape Town, between 8am and 4:30pm today, December 23.
Alternatively trees can be picked up from the Oranjezicht City Farm Market on Haul Road, Granger Bay Blvd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront today and on Saturday (December 24) between 9am and 2pm.