A Limpopo company based in Zebediela, is heading to Germany next week in search of export opportunities in Europe and beyond for their stone fruits.

Ground Stone will be part of a group of companies that will be showcasing their products at the Fruit Logistica International Exhibition in Berlin from 5-7 February 2025.

The participation of the companies has been made possible by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), which will set up a national pavillion in which the South African companies will exhibit their products. This is part of the department’s efforts to provide companies with an opportunity to look for markets for their products internationally.

The main objective is to see companies increasing their production and creating more employment  opportunities after securing deals to export their goods to various markets. In this way they will be able to contribute in increasing the country’s exports and earning the much-needed foreign revenue that will contribute in South Africa’s economic growth.

The Director of Ground Stone, Mr Dibesho Serage says he is looking forward to the trip to Germany as it will provide him with an opportunity to search for markets for his company’s produce in Europe and beyond.

“Fruit Logista is a popular trade exhibition that attracts buyers, distributors, importers and fellow producers from different parts of the world. All of them are looking for good fruits that they can import from anywhere in the world.  This will be a perfect platform for us to network with all of them with the aim of obtaining orders that can result in us exporting our products to other international markets,” says Serage.

Serage’s orchard, which is based at the Matome Village, consists of 25 000 trees of peaches and nectarines. Only 20 hectares of the 50-hectare farm have been planted with trees. The farm has the capacity to produce 300 tons of fruits per year, but it is currently producing 150 tons that are supplied to local premium markets.

“Securing an export market will enable us to increase both our production and the number of employees. Currently, we have 15 fulltime employees,  the majority of whom are women. We add eight more people when it is harvesting time,” says Serage.

“It would make us happier if we were to create employment for more people in the area, as well as increasing our contribution to the economy of the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality in particular, and Limpopo in general,” adds Serage.

Serage (45) is an industrial engineer with a Diploma in Industrial Engineering from the Vaal University of Technology, and a Bachelor of Technology in Operations Management from the Nelson Mandela Bay University. It was in 2010 while he was working as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a facilities management company in Pretoria that the entrepreneurial buck bit him. He remembered an underutilised family land that his parents used over the years to grow mealies.

“Having grown up in a village where every yard had a successful fruit tree, an orchard was an natural choice to start.  A battery of soil tests and research led me to the Western Cape where I found the types of cultivars suitable for the Zebediela climatic conditions. In 2014 the demanding project of populating the orchard with fruit trees from the Western Cape took off in a big way.  I had to resign from my job as a CEO to focus on the business,” recalls Serage.

Today,  Serage’s orchard is the source of pride for the people of Zebediela who derive joy and honour from fruits from their soil that are gracing the shelves of Woolworths across the country.

Serage’s orchard and produce are certified by GLOBALG.A.P. is a private organisation which establishes standards for the certification of agricultural products worldwide. The standard assures producers, suppliers, and buyers that food production at the farm and facility level meets internationally-recognised best practices.


From Zebediela to Germany – the Director of Ground Stone, Mr Dibesho Serage hopes to find export market for the company’s fruits in Europe and beyond.


Nectarines and peaches produced by Ground Stone in Zebediela, Limpopo

 

For media enquiries and interview requests:
Bongani Lukhele – Director: Media Relations
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E-mail: BLukhele@thedtic.gov.za
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