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Wanting to develop produce is one thing that is both in your blood or it is not. It’s all the time been a part of Raymond Koopstad’s make-up. Through perseverance he is now an export producer of deciduous fruit in the Witzenberg district, incomes the respect of his friends. Gerrit Rautenbach paid him a go to.
Raymond Koopstad’s journey into agriculture took many turns, however strategic partnerships made it work splendidly. Eventually. Raymond and his spouse Mary’s farming on La Vouere close to Ceres in the Witzenberg Valley started in 2003 after they bought the 110ha farm with authorities LRAD funding in the 30 member La Vouere Trust that consisted largely of relations.
With funding from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, the Trust planted their first peaches in 2004. Although the mission was efficiently mentored by Adrian Wolfaardt of Verdun Estates close to Prince Alfred’s Hamlet, some troublesome years made them realise that the enterprise mannequin was not sustainable.
“We either had to sell the farm or grow in a new direction,” explains Raymond. In 2015 Raymond and Mary purchased out the different shareholders and parted on good phrases. A brand new firm, La Vouere (Pty) Ltd, with Raymond and his speedy household as shareholders was established.
At the similar time Witzenberg PALS was launched, a non-public initiative by a group of business farmers in the Witzenberg district that needed to achieve out to black farmers to help with the profitable transformation of the fruit business. The mission’s goal was to type industrial partnerships with black farmers providing mentorship, coaching, linkages with the market and different help techniques to efficiently develop their companies. It was at PALS that Raymond met his earlier mentor’s son, Peter Wolfaardt.
“Because of my relationship with his father I approached Peter and Georgina Hewitt about our plans to restructure the farm. We eventually formed a partnership on both the production and marketing levels.”
The partnership is known as La Vouere Stonefruit (Pty) Ltd with La Vouere (Pty) Ltd as the majority shareholder that gives the water and the land and the minority shareholder is Verdun Estates that gives mentorship, advertising and marketing, packing infrastructure, technical and administrative help. Peter and Georginia helped Raymond with water and soil evaluation, budgets in addition to orchard and selection planning.
“Our family has been farming in this region for decades and this is the first time we have established a business relationship with someone outside our family. We are excited about the future of this business partnership and see this as a potential template for future agricultural partnerships aimed at promoting land reform,” Peter stated.
Raymond additionally acquired a grant from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Project Allocation Committee (CPAC), managed by Hortgro.
“This well-timed and helpful capital injection meant excellent infrastructural upgrades. We were also granted Jobs Fund funding and were able to plant 15 hectares of mostly export variety nectarines in August 2017,” Raymond defined.
“The trees have grown very well and we had our first harvest in November 2018. Verdun Estates packed and marketed the fruit through their established marketing channels, such as Stems, a South African Stone Fruit supplier to premium local and international markets and programmes with local retailers.”
Their farm is 110ha in whole and through 2017 they established 15ha with a additional 4.5ha in 2018, topped by a further 7.9 ha the following yr, bringing the whole to 38 ha. Most importantly, this growth created jobs in the space.
They didn’t plant any new orchards in 2020-’21 as they have been ready on new varieties to be launched and likewise to mature the 38ha of plantings. It was a tough 4 years in establishing the new growth.
“Some local skeptics frowned when we started planting these orchards while it was so dry but as the trees have received the water and nutrition they needed to be established successfully,” Raymond stated.
“The harder I try, the luckier I get,” goes the well-known Gary Player quote. “So, it was in 2022 that an extra piece of land with very good water became available,” Raymond defined.
“But the only way to afford it was to finance it. My partners, the Wolfaardts have been dealing with FNB for a long time. Their good name and connections were key to the outcome of this transaction. With the newly acquired water we were able to plant an additional 18 ha of stone fruit. Which in turn resulted in more jobs.”
Yet once more proof that every one good farming companies have partnerships at their coronary heart. At the Deciduous Fruit Industry Gala awards in 2019, Raymond Koopstad acquired the New Generation Award for his distinctive efficiency and clever decision-making as a new entrant to the deciduous fruit business.
“Koopstad is living proof of what can be achieved when beneficiaries of land reform who are serious about agriculture are provided with solid partnerships and adequate support,” the judges said.
For a few years Covid-19 derailed the Gala awards, but it surely was again in splendid type on 31 March this yr. This time Raymond Koopstad received the Value Chain Breaker Award for his success in the export business.
“Through hard work and dedication La Vouere is now a farm exporting deciduous fruit of note, especially after recently extending the operation with an additional 18 ha stone-fruit development. Which in turn resulted in more job opportunities,” famous the judges this time.
“I am privileged to work as a farmer in the fruit industry. The agricultural sector and the fruit industry are well positioned to drive inclusive economic growth, food security, job creation and better social cohesion,” was Raymond’s response. All proof that Raymond is not solely right here to remain, however he’s going the full distance.
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