Colossal Western Cape plum smashes world record

They did it!

In an extraordinary achievement, a giant plum grown on the farm Oppie Plaas in Waboomskraal in the Western Cape has tipped the scales to claim a spot in the Guinness World Records.

This mango-sized anomaly, weighing a staggering 464.15g, put its predecessor, a 354.57g Japanese plum weighed in 2021, to shame.

Dean Barnard, the proud farmer of the eight-year-old orchard that produced this colossal fruit, co-owns Oppie Plaas Boerdery with his father, Deon.

They’ve made a name for themselves with their plums, and this year, they’ve set the bar even higher.

“It actually weighed over 480g when we harvested it,” Dean said, adding that moisture loss caused it to drop a few grams.

“I am extremely proud of our achievement. It is officially the biggest plum in the world and another feather in the cap for Waboomskraal,” Dean proudly wrote on his Facebook page after receiving the news that they have become the Guinness World Records title holder for the heaviest plum.

The Barnards’ plum belongs to the Autumn Treat variety, known for its sweet taste and crisp texture – unlike the Japanese or Chinese plums, from which the previous record-holder came.

Despite the impressive nature of their plum, the Barnards weren’t too surprised. They’ve been growing unusually large plums for years, although they’re keeping the secret behind their sweet success tightly under wraps.

Deon stumbled upon the record-breaking fruit while inspecting crates of freshly harvested plums.

“I walked past the crate and saw the plum. We’ve had a couple of big ones before, and maybe if we’d searched more carefully, we might have found an even larger one,” he smiled.