Passez à l'illimité avec Magzter GOLD

Passez à l'illimité avec Magzter GOLD

Obtenez un accès illimité à plus de 9 000 magazines, journaux et articles Premium pour seulement

$149.99
 
$74.99/Année

Essayer OR - Gratuit

The dawn of a new era for Orange River Cellars

Farmer's Weekly

|

March 31, 2023

Orange River Cellars, located in Upington in the Northern Cape, is in the process of converting from a co-operative to a company. CEO Charl du Plessis spoke to Glenneis Kriel about this development.

-  Glenneis Kriel

The dawn of a new era for Orange River Cellars

How and why was Orange River Cellars established?
Orange River Cellars (ORC) was launched in 1965 as a co-operative to create an outlet for wine grapes produced in the region once the Orange River Irrigation Scheme took effect in 1966.

ORC’s Upington Cellar was built in 1967 and had its first harvest the following year. At the time, it produced only three types of wine: a dry white, a semi-sweet and a sweet.

From the 1970s onwards, production increased substantially, leading to the establishment of wine cellars in Keimoes, Grootdrink, Groblershoop and Kakamas, as well as juice cellars in Kanoneiland and Grootdrink.

Its product range also expanded to include a wide variety of single-cultivar and blended still wines, brandies, fortified wines, and even gin.

How was the co-operative structured?
Each farmer had a quota to deliver a certain volume of wine each season, and the co-operative’s profits were shared between the farmers.

Producers who wanted to downscale their wine-grape production or stop altogether would sell their quotas to others looking to grow their production.

Why are you converting the co-operative into a company?
The co-operative system is a dated and rather clumsy business model because of the time it takes to get everybody’s approval to make decisions and evaluate their impact. It’s also difficult to build reserves for difficult times, as the profits are paid out to producers every year.

The main reason for the change, however, is that most of our suppliers have downscaled winegrape production over the past decade in favour of more lucrative crops, such as raisins, and nobody wants to take over their quotas, let alone buy them.

When was the decision taken to make this switch? 

PLUS D'HISTOIRES DE Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Driverless sprayers set for South African orchards

South Africa's fruit growers will soon see the country's first autonomous spraying technology in action when Orchard Agri launches the OSAM S500 PRO Autonomous Multi-Function Sprayer by LJ Tech in November.

time to read

1 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

India's apple industry hit by floods

Recent floods in Jammu and Kashmir have caused major supply-chain disruptions, according to FreshPlaza.​com.

time to read

1 min

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Ghana races to protect banana crop from the threat of Fusarium wilt

Ghana has taken a crucial first step to protect its banana crop from the threat of Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), according to an article by FreshPlaza.com.

time to read

1 min

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Farming with friends: Marman's companion planting philosophy

Angelo Marman is a farmer with big dreams for himself and his community. He knows, however, that these dreams will only bear fruit with the help of the right companions, both in his vegetable beds and in his business ventures.

time to read

5 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Spring braai quartet

With spring well under way, now's the time to fire up the braai with these four super-tasty recipes that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

time to read

2 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Capsicum transplanting and aftercare

The seedlings should ideally be prepared for the conditions that they will experience in the land after transplantation

time to read

2 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Merinos: the cornerstone of South Africa's sheep industry

Grant Naudé, president of Merino South Africa, spoke to Octavia Avesca Spandiel about the Merino breed's adaptability, dual-purpose strengths and vital role in sustaining South Africa's wool and meat industries.

time to read

6 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Grain SA's research roadshow highlights farmer-led innovation

Grain SA’s 2025 Western Cape Research Roadshow connected farmers and researchers, sharing advances in plant breeding, pest control, climate tools, and economics to strengthen resilience and profitability in South Africa’s grain industry.

time to read

3 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Broccoli: winter crop in year-round rotation

Among the Brassica genus types, broccoli has been one of the popular choices for farmers in cooler climates.

time to read

4 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Farmer's Weekly

Farmer's Weekly

Hampshire Down: mutton sheep fast gaining in popularity

Hennie Jonker, an award-winning Hampshire Down stud breeder from Kroonstad, describes this sheep breed as a topmost mutton producer that provides sterling terminal sires for commercial and crossbred flocks. Annelie Coleman visited his Zorro stud to find out more about the breed.

time to read

4 mins

26 September - 3 October 2025

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size