Consistency, quality, and a market on the doorstep

Seizing a unique opportunity two years ago, Bright Matimbe capitalised on a shortage of locally produced cabbage in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, and did so within a stone’s throw of the market.

“I was working full-time as a business unit manager for a farmer incubator programme, but had always dreamt of farming myself, so I kept my eyes open for a piece of land I could rent,” he recalls. “I’d noticed for some time there was land lying idle at the Agricultural Research Council facility in the centre of town, so I approached them and [negotiated a lease] on the land.

“Cabbage was my first choice, because I saw there was an increasing demand for it in the area. And at certain times of the year here, one has to travel 300km to find cabbage.