From rags to riches with fruit farming

When Kitty du Plessis’s husband lost his farming job, they decided to buy a farm no one else wanted. She and her son, Mario, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about their journey to success.

- Glenneis Kriel

Kitty du Plessis and her late husband, Marius, never dreamt of having their own farm, thinking there was no way they could ever afford one. Then in 1999, the owners of the Daytona farm in the Warm Bokkeveld of the Western Cape, where Marius was the farm manager for over 20 years, passed away soon after one another, and their heirs, who lived abroad, wanted out of the business.

Daytona’s stud was bought shortly thereafter, but the new owners weren’t interested in the fruit division, Aurora, leaving Marius, who had been in charge of everything but the horses, without a job. Potential buyers of Aurora were also put off when they realised the farm was situated behind the Nduli informal settlement.

In the end, the attorneys who managed the estate invited Marius and Kitty to bid for the Aurora farm. Having no idea what to offer, they discussed options with Ceres Fruit Growers, which helped them develop a business plan for the purchase.

They were over the moon when they heard that their offer had been accepted, but what followed were eight tough years.

“We had lots of experience on the management and production side of farming, but the business side was all new to us. With no farm records, we also had no idea what the cash flow would be like. Many people thought we would not last for more than three years,” Kitty admits.

THE FARM

When the couple bought Aurora, most of the orchards were old, and only 9ha of the original 24ha were still financially viable. To make ends meet, Kitty kept her day job at Ceres Fruit Juices, and she and Marius tried to do much of the farm work themselves.

“We made a great team. Marius was incredibly hands-on and skilled on the production side, whereas I am good with admin and numbers,” she says.