From a desk to a field: How a couple created a successful strawberry farm in KZN

Strawberries in Ballito? They were told it would never work, but Xolani and Yoliswa Gumede have proved the doubters wrong and created a juicy business

Xolani and Yoliswa Gumede are not your typical farmers. Sophisticated and urbane, it’s easier to imagine the couple behind mahogany desks in Sandton than dressed in overalls, digging in the dirt.

They are strawberry farmers. “First generation,” says Durban-born Xolani, who has a Master’s in project management and more than one successful business under his belt.

“And at the mercy of nature,” says Yoliswa, who has given up a successful marketing consultancy to concentrate full time on the 17-hectare Cappeny Estates in Ballito.

It’s the first time in recorded history that strawberries have been grown commercially on the KZN North Coast.

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The idea of rows of perfect, plump strawberries – gorgeously red, lusciously indulgent – is charming, but the choice of crop was, for the Gumedes, as far from whimsy as you get.

The decision was based on years of research, hard work and careful planning.

Part of the mandate of Xolani’s previous company was developing properties, which involved buying land and converting its use.

In 2009 he did a short course on hydroponics and greenhouse farming. “There was no depth to it, but it gave me a snapshot of what lay beyond. I went back to my professor and asked him to help me with a business plan. I didn’t say ‘let’s make strawberries work’.”

What followed was extensive analysis and research – the land was not big enough for traditional crops like sugar, so going small meant the crop had to be high value.

They looked at proximity to the airport; proximity to markets; cost of the land; the climate; and what eventually emerged was a document outlining two crop options – cut flowers and berries. Each was further rated on its marketability, demand, barriers to entry and ease of growth, and the crops that made it to the top were strawberries and roses.

So began a second phase of research for the Gumedes – travel. They went to east Africa to see rose farms and visited Holland and Belgium for strawberries. These business missions, facilitated by the Department of Trade and Investment KZN, were invaluable.

Their conclusions? The Kenyans had rose production down to a fine art at costs that couldn’t be matched. With strawberries, the barrier to entry was higher, but, Xolani believed, “if we nailed it we would have a higher level of security. It helps that strawberries have a short shelf life.”

Xolani has always been a risk-taker, says Yoliswa. “When he came to me and said he wanted  to start a strawberry farm I was worried that we might lose the toaster and the kettle as well as the house. He’s always had vision – this is the man who wants to build a Disneyland in Africa. I am the more cautious one, but when I saw the amount of thought and work that had gone into the plan I was fully behind it.”

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Not everyone was as confident. Xolani looked at the land with a farmer who said strawberries would never grow in Ballito, the climate was wrong. “Not that they would grow poorly, but that they wouldn’t grow at all,” says Xolani. “But the research was saying something else and the strawberries don’t know they are in Ballito.”

One of the things they learned during their field research was that strawberry farms around the world are typically owned by families over generations, or major corporations. “Once the farm itself starts ticking over positively it becomes a difficult business to dispose of,” he says. “It’s a difficult crop to master, but when you do, the demand is endless.”

They were warned to give themselves three to five years to get the hang of things. “It’s a difficult thing to digest,” says Xolani. “You have to live and eat and pay back the bank, but they say if you make it through that period you will be part of the 2% that keeps its farm for generations. We are going into our third year and it’s getting progressively better.”

It’s been a matter of trial and error. As they both say, no amount of research can tell you what on-the-job training teaches you.

They have invested more than R20-million and employ 75 to 100 people each season. Growth has been around 250% year-on-year, way more than expected. In the first year, most of the crop was sold as pulp for juice.

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“That’s been completely reversed – 90% is now sold as fresh fruit, which brings the best rate per kilo,” says Xolani. The phenomenal change was due to eventually settling on the variety of strawberry best suited to the soil and the weather.

“There is endless demand,” says Xolani. “Basically, if we were the sole supplier to any retailer we couldn’t meet their demand.”

Glamorous they may still be, but they don’t miss the corporate world. “The community here has embraced and supported us,” says Yoliswa, “and we have had so many milestones. When we bought this land there was nothing – no electricity, no roads. We have had many firsts. When we built the dam, when we finished our building, when the very last of 48km of plants went in – it’s been very emotional.”

There have been endless challenges and steep learning curves. “But no matter how difficult, and it’s been difficult more often than not,” says Xolani, “when we walk onto the field in the late afternoon, when it is quiet and when the sun is setting, the serenity of the moment is very special. You start with nothing and then you look around you and see creation. The feeling is incomparable.”

sub_head_start Speciality crops in demand globally sub_head_end

• Lavender

• Gourmet mushrooms

• Woody ornamentals (stems and branches used by florists)

• Landscaping trees and shrubs

• Bonsai plants

• Japanese maples

• Willows (used for decorative purposes)

• Garlic

• Bamboo

• Herbs

NEWSFLASH!

Cappeny Estates has leapt onto the world stage by being Global GAP certified in its first audit. This means it can export strawberries anywhere in the world. The Global GAP standard sets strict criteria for agricultural practices that farmers must comply with if they want to sell products to major retailers around the world.

This article was originally published in this month's Spice