Finding healing and success on a Karoo farm
Despite lacking farming experience, Carole Kirkwood Pretorius converted a rundown Karoo farm into a small but commercially viable enterprise in only six years.
Packaging for fresh produce – get it right
Mike Cordes reviews the role of packaging in the fresh produce sector, and more specifically, its importance at consumer level.
Organic backyard growers go big
Agricultural co-operative Buffalo City Organic Producers (BCOP) has gone from producing organic vegetables in back gardens to harvesting 10t tomatoes per month hydroponically. This has won them a provincial award....
New egg packhouse secures top-end market position
Balgowan poultry farmer Rodney Smith picked an unconventional approach when it came to upgrading his egg packhouse to meet stringent food safety standards.
Success with on-farm pork processing business
South African farmers have long been encouraged to add value to their products for improved profit and control. One farmer that has taken this to heart is bringing home the...
Dutch fruit importers require transparency
The list of audits to which SA producers are expected to adhere continues to grow – a situation given impetus by the farm worker unrest in the Western Cape in...
Transformation hard at work at winery
Robertson Winery runs one of a few successful transformation projects in the industry. Cellar master Bowen Botha and shareholder Martha Fielies share their story with Denene Erasmus.
Russia-SA trade: will our farmers benefit?
Russia joined the World Trade Organisation in August 2012. As the largest country on the planet, it holds significant trading potential for South Africa, and the National Department of Agriculture,...
Cassava processing: game-changing technology
Dutch processing technology is being used to solve the problem of transporting perishable cassava roots over long distances in Africa.
Cracking the liquid egg market
Eikenhof Poultry Farms, part of the Free Range Chicken Company, is amongst South Africa’s oldest producers of free-range eggs. The company has taken the lead in offering free-range liquid egg...
Bosparadys – A family success story
Business expansion and community development are guiding principles in the Khourie family business. Bosparadys is a thriving dairy concern set to expand despite the tough economic environment dairy farmers operate...
A woman in the wine industry
In August 2009, Elsa Carstens became the first woman in South Africa to head up two producer wine cellars. Due to financial pressure, these cellars had already opted to amalgamate...
Bucking the bulk wine trend
Bulk wine exports have become the backbone of South Africa’s international wine trade. But to increase profitability and ensure financial sustainability, Riebeek Cellars is instead investing in a rebranding exercise...
Collective farming at its best
Despite having limited farmland, Chris Venter is a top pepper supplier to a Gauteng supermarket chain. By contracting six other farmers to share the production, he has spread his risk...
From backyard farmer to commercial producer
Noliqwa Nhlapo, runner-up in the 2013 Eskom Development Foundation Business Investment Competition, was forced to change direction from piggery to egg production due to land constraints. But she never lost...
Canola: Fields of gold
Canola production has grown in leaps and bounds during the past decade and is set to more than double in the next. With biofuel blending regulations coming into effect in...
Making the most of the ostrich
This ostrich farm in the Western Cape has diversified into tourism, sport, concerts and other attractions that ensure a constant income stream. Jay Ferreira reports.
Aloes boost tourism for local town
Tapping into KZN’s winter-flowering aloes has given local businesses, tourism and conservation a welcome boost. Robyn Joubert reports.
Economies of scale: how does dairy farming fit in
Dairy farming is changing as smaller farmers fall by the wayside and bigger operations expand. David Beca, director of Australian company Red Sky and CEO of NZ Farming Uruguay, dispels...
From corner supermarket to global dairy business
Federico Boglione, the company president of one of the biggest dehydrated milk product suppliers in the world, says the main pillars of success of his Argentinian-based family business, Los Lazos,...
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