Limpopo farmer eyes global markets

A Limpopo company based in Zebediela is heading to Berlin, Germany, in search of export opportunities across Europe and beyond for its stone fruits.

Germany is one of the G20 countries with diplomatic ties to South Africa. In November 2025, South Africa will host the G20 Summit. 

The G20 is a forum for the world's major economies to discuss global economic and financial issues.

Ground Stone serves as a prime example of how fostering economic ties with the global community can positively impact the lives of ordinary South Africans. The company will be among a group of businesses showcasing their products at the Fruit Logistica International Exhibition in Berlin from 5–7 February 2025.

The director of Ground Stone, Dibesho Serage, expressed his excitement about the upcoming trip to Germany, which he views as a valuable opportunity to explore markets for his company’s produce.

“Fruit Logistica is a renowned trade exhibition that attracts buyers, distributors, importers, and producers from all over the world. They are all searching for quality fruits to import. This platform will be ideal for networking and securing orders, enabling us to export our products to international markets,” he said.

Serage’s orchard is located in Matome Village and consists of 25,000 peach and nectarine trees. Currently, only 20 hectares of the 50-hectare farm are under cultivation. While the farm has the capacity to produce 300 tons of fruit annually, it is currently producing 150 tons, which are supplied to Woolworths.

“Securing an export market would allow us to increase both production and our workforce. At present, we employ 15 full-time staff, most of whom are women, and an additional eight people during harvest season,” said Serage.

“Our greatest satisfaction would come from creating more jobs in the area and contributing further to the economy of the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality and Limpopo as a whole,” he added.

Entrepreneurial bug

Serage, aged 45, holds a Diploma in Industrial Engineering from the Vaal University of Technology and a Bachelor of Technology in Operations Management from Nelson Mandela Bay University.

He caught the entrepreneurial bug in 2010 while serving as chief excutive officer (CEO)of a facilities management company in Pretoria. Reflecting on underutilised family land where his parents had grown maize, he saw an opportunity.

“Having grown up in a village where every yard had a thriving fruit tree, starting an orchard was a natural choice. After extensive soil testing and research, I travelled to the Western Cape to find cultivars suited to Zebediela’s climate. In 2014, we began the ambitious task of populating the orchard with fruit trees from the Western Cape. I eventually resigned from my CEO role to focus entirely on the business,” Serage recalled.

Today, his orchard is a source of pride for the people of Zebediela, whose fruits now grace Woolworths’ shelves across the country.