Business

Rina Belcher runs Belnori Boutique Cheesery, a Saanen goat-breeding and cheesemaking operation near Bapsfontein in Gauteng. Pieter Dempsey spoke to her about raising her animals and creating a diverse range of products, including soft and hard cheeses, a number of which have garnered prestigious awards.

Snail-breeding enterprise CSC Heliculture began as a small-scale operation, but now business is booming thanks to growth in the market. Co-owner Christiaan Jooste spoke to Pieter Dempsey about the company’s success.

Farmable, an exclusive orchard management tool, can be used for recording crop treatments, capturing field observations including scouting work, and collaborating with advisors and operators.

With solar energy becoming increasingly affordable and reliable, more and more farmers are using it to reduce their electricity costs and dependence on Eskom power. Claude Peters of RenEnergy spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this trend.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution can aid crop insurance, although the technology still has a long way to go to reach its full potential, according to Schalk Schultz of Santam Agriculture. He spoke to Glenneis Kriel.

Even if succession seems straightforward, as when passing on operations to a single heir, several steps are needed to facilitate the transfer of the farm from one generation to the next, says Trevor Dickinson.

After a fire destroyed the Tomis Group’s meat-processing facility, the owners decided to reinvent the business as a market leader in meat quality and safety. Managing director Laurie Terblanche spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the recovery and transition.

Vegetable farmer Mabel Dikobe’s story is a fine example of how equipping small businesses with the resources they require can empower them to support entire communities.

In this first article in a new series on how to run a family farm successfully, Trevor Dickinson, CEO of specialist consultancy Family Legacies, writes that the key to a profitable, long-lasting business is to start a family conversation about succession planning. And this needs to happen sooner rather than later.

In 2020, Sergeant Thabo Moletsane won the Western Cape Stock Theft Committee’s award for Best Member of a Stock Theft Unit for the fourth year in a row. Glenneis Kriel found out more about this remarkable man.

A group of subsistence farmers in the Western Cape have put their differences aside and come together to realise their individual dreams of owning a farm. Glenneis Kriel reports on the launch of Thembelitsha Farming.

Freshpact’s range of paper punnets is the ideal alternative to single-use plastic. These punnets are recyclable and reusable and do not compromise the shelf life of fresh produce.