It's all about the groundnuts

Over the years, Eduard Dreyer ventured into different markets to build his business's resilience. Groundnuts, however, became a core part of his farming enterprise, so much so that he built a processing plant that specialises in cleaning and sorting the crop. Nichelle Steyn reports on how Eduard and his son Christian handle the 2 000t harvest.

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Groundnuts are a high-value, nutritional crop that generate a high income. “It is a lucrative business,” says Eduard Dreyer. He also invests in sunflower and maize production so that his risk profile expands across industries.

Eduard, a third-generation farmer near Bothaville in the Free State, is constantly reminded of the legacy his father-in-law and the generation before him left on the farm, and it strengthens his enterprise when he adapts to the times so that he can preserve the farm for his sons.

His house, for instance, is testament to the resilience of a group of Italian prisoners of war who were interned in South Africa during World War II. When the war ended, they chose to stay on.

These Italians found themselves on the family farm with Grandfather Roux, and helped build the house Eduard now lives in.

“Grandfather Roux gave the Italians a piece of land on the farm, but later on the dynamics changed and they sold it back to us,” he says.

That’s why Eduard was so excited when his son Christian joined their business in January this year. Christian brings new ideas, which Eduard fully supports.

“I welcome his input, as it improves our business and gives me a fresh perspective on the way things are done. This gives us an opportunity to take the business to the next level,” explains Eduard.

He married into the Roux family and joined the farming business years later, and it was his idea to plant groundnuts. In 2017, he diversified by entering the value chain and processing their groundnuts.

“About 25% to 30% of our land is dedicated to groundnuts. We also plant sunflower and maize to bolster our cash flow,” he says.