The BUTCHER GIRLS
The most successful entrepreneurs are those who begin their journey with a passion. These three have that and more in common: they all started with a zeal for ethical farming.
What started out as a favour for some friends in the Cape turned into full-time work for Lana Robertson. ‘Why not start getting paid for my efforts?’ she thought. With a background in the food service industry and having worked at the Marks & Spencer head office on Baker Street in London for a couple of years, Lana knew a lot about food. And she knows that people worry about where their meat comes from.
‘People have worries about everything from GMO foods to whether they can believe the information on the packaging of products they buy. So when my late husband got involved in a partnership in a guest farm called Vensterklip near Elands Bay, we started up a restaurant and got a taste for
the farming side of things when we bought a small flock of sheep.’
There are farmers in the area who practise ethical farming, producing pasture-reared lamb and beef, in particular. Soon, friends and family were asking Lana to buy and deliver the meat to them. She took this on while helping her husband run Vensterklip. But things came to a standstill when he passed away in 2015.
‘I guess my starting up the business now,’ says Lana, ‘could serve as motivation for other women who have faced tragedy, showing it is possible to start again.
‘As more orders came in, I realised the favours were turning into a fulltime job for me – I took this as an opportunity to turn my passion into something more permanent.’ Today, customers can order a monthly box filled with pasture-reared meats that gets delivered to their door.
‘My time at Vensterklip, which started out as a dilapidated farm with barely anything to offer, taught me a lot about taking the time and effort to do something properly. In the food industry I was constantly exposed to people slapping a free-range label on products, not always legitimately, and then selling them at exorbitant prices – my aim is to show people that pasture-reared meats are just as good and much more affordable.’
Lana says the relationship she has with farmers makes the work deeply rewarding. ‘I really would love to see the Sandveld put on the map. There is so much to offer, and the people here are really special.
‘Every day is an education, but having a passion for something makes success sweeter.’ facebook.com/TheButcherette
Growing up on a sheep farm 50km outside Kenhardt in the Northern Cape, Liesl Bush had the principles of ethical and sustainable farming instilled in her from a young age.
‘I thought everyone farmed the way my dad did. He was a big believer in conserving our land and not overfarming the veld,’ she says.
After their studies and travels, Liesl and her brother, Richard Jordaan, returned to South Africa in 2013 to continue their work on the farm. ‘First, we began supplying lamb to our friends. Our customer base began to grow on social media. Initially, we tried to do as much as possible ourselves, but we now partner with small businesses.’
The Farmer’s Daughter is similar to a vegetable box system: members sign up for a monthly delivery. The range of cuts is expanding, and delivery will soon include meal ideas and recipes.
‘All our lambs are free-roaming, natural-fed and hormone-free, and they have free access to food and water at all times. We strive to give our animals as stress-free a life as possible, and I try to practise what I preach by supporting other local farmers and buying only free-range products. When we eat meat in my family, we make sure it is free-range and comes from a reputable source.’
Liesl is proud to be among the female entrepreneurs leading the way in South Africa. ‘As a natural entrepreneur, my brain never stops thinking of new ways to improve our products and grow our customers.’
The Farmer’s Daughter now supplies boxes all over Cape Town.
‘My brother and I started talking about this business when our dad was really ill. It was a great distraction at the time to talk about our dream rather than the reality of his illness. Since we started the business our dad has passed away, and now it is my brother who does the farming. We make all our decisions together, and working with him is one of the many things I truly enjoy about our business.’ farmersdaughter.co.za
‘I guess my starting up the business now could serve as motivation for other women who have faced tragedy, showing it is possible to start again.’ ‘We strive to give our animals as stress-free a life as possible.’
‘ Igrew up on a farm, and I’ve been involved in farming all my life,’ says Jeanne Groenewald, founder and MD of Elgin Free Range Chickens. ‘I did a BSc Agriculture in animal physiology and genetics, and became disillusioned with the new “scientific” way of farming.’
It was the inhumane, profit-driven methods in commercial farming that distressed Jeanne. She decided it was up to her to start a business that embraced ethical management of the animals and free-range principles.
‘I began a free-range duck farm for restaurants. It doubled as a way of combating snails in the vineyards; the ducks would eat the snails, eliminating the need for pesticides.’ Then her children were born. ‘When you have children, you begin looking at health and consumption in a different way. I’m not a vegetarian, but I didn’t want to feed anything to my family that was a result of animals suffering, or caused health concerns.’
Jeanne’s struggle to find freerange chickens led to her raising her own in her backyard. After tasting the difference and hearing about her ethical practices, friends and neighbours started asking for them. Jeanne saw an opportunity.
‘I see opportunities around every corner,’ she says. ‘This has its pros and cons – you can’t run with every opportunity you see! But I don’t believe it’s possible to study entrepreneurship; it’s in your blood.’
Jeanne is committed to raising chickens that are free of growth promoter and antibiotics, that feed on high-quality food, and that live a natural life free from stress.
‘I remember my first 100 chickens; they had a coop beneath a fig tree. The fruit that fell off the tree attracted flies, providing great entertainment and nutrition for the chickens. They spent their time catching flies and scratching in the dirt.’
Social and community upliftment is close to Jeanne’s heart. ‘I employ 450 people. Every Tuesday I have a Cakewith-the-MD session. I ask everyone the same questions: tell us something we don’t know about you; what high or low have you had while working for the company; and what is your dream?’
Through this initiative Jeanne has learnt much about her employees and their needs. She discovered many of them wanted to upskill themselves by finishing school and providing their children with an education. So she now runs a night school on the premises, where staff have the opportunity to gain a matric certificate.
She also partners with community members to support their social needs.
‘What we do differently is to engage with every person and to listen, instead of doing what think is right.’ freerangechickens.co.za
‘Jeanne now runs a night school on the premises of her business, where staff have the opportunity to further their schooling and gain a matric certificate.’