Tag: Agricon Pty Ltd

2016’s top SA entrepreneur revealed

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South Africa’s premier annual entrepreneurial platform, Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, has named second-time finalist and owner of Agricon, Johan Eksteen, as this year’s overall competition winner at the awards ceremony held in Johannesburg this morning.

Internationally acclaimed Agricon is a manufacturer of cost-effective, eco-friendly pelleting solutions for the agricultural and industrial industries. The company was established in 1993 by brothers Andre and Johan, with Johan becoming the sole owner in 2006 and subsequently growing the business to a global specialist.

With over 15 years of experience in the agriculture industry, Eksteen gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise in pelletizing by working in countries such as South Africa, Uganda, Australia, Singapore and New Caledonia.

Pelletizing, involving the processing of materials into small dry pellets, is a common practice in industrial procedures. This process is used globally by manufacturers of animal feed or recycling facilities that specialise in processing materials for reuse, Agricon offering extends to rooibos tea and tobacco dust, fertilizers, animal manure and even chemicals.

Since being named a finalist in the 2014 competition, Agricon has not only expanded and experienced rapid growth in turnover, but has also benefited from the improvement of various business processes – something that stood out to the judging panel. “Johan has managed to take a small business to heights that go beyond what could have been expected by continually improving Agricon’s service offering. This is greater than just generating tangible results from a good business model – this is entrepreneurial passion.”

In addition to the manufacturing of pelletizing machines and equipment, the company provides training and on-site installation for clients, as well as on-going support following a sale, such as the provision of spare parts. Agricon also provides advice on new venture creation and business opportunities for clients within the pelleting sector, and supports the customer from business plan through the financing process and later trade-in assistance and expansion possibilities.

On winning this accolade, Eksteen believes that it will set the business apart from the rest and give it even more traction. “I feel that it is extremely important to benchmark your entrepreneurial skills against the best in business, because without testing your achievements against the realities in the market, you may easily have an inflated perception of your abilities and successes. Apart from the personal achievement and pride, winning an award of this calibre is a great feather in Agricon’s cap,” he concludes.

For more information on Agricon (Pty) Ltd, please visit www.agricon-pelleting.co.za.

SA’s best entrepreneurs recognised at 2014 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year®

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The winners of the 2014 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition were announced at an awards ceremony held on 3 September in Johannesburg.

Following a stringent judging process, the 14 finalists were narrowed down to five winners. The overall 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year® winner was Adri Kruger, owner of Tzaneen Country Lodge, a country style hotel situated on a 170 hectare working mango farm just outside Tzaneen in the Limpopo Province. Starting with an old and dilapidated farmstead in 2000, Kruger managed to successfully develop what was intended to be a four-bedroomed guest house into a full service 60 bedroom hotel.

According to Christo Botes, spokesperson of the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, Kruger was awarded the overall title due to the resilience she showed in the current economic climate and her ability to adapt her business model to attract a different market from the ones she typically served – both traits inherent in a true entrepreneur.

The 26 year old competition, widely considered to be the pre-eminent of its kind in South Africa, celebrates excellence in entrepreneurship and aims to honour, benefit and uplift South African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by providing a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their achievements and elevate their profile, as well as their profits.

Other 2014 category winners include:

  1. 2014 Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year®: Johan Eksteen, owner of Agricon (Pty) Ltd, a worldwide supplier of pelletizing machinery and equipment as well as agri–processing factories. www.agricon-pelleting.co.za
  2. 2014 Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year®: Marthie Jansen Van Rensburg, founder of Ekurhuleni Artisans and Skills Training Centre (Pty) Ltd. Based in Kempton Park, Johannesburg. The centre focuses on training unemployed individuals as artisans. www.eastc.co.za
  3. 2014 Job Creator of the Year®: Theresa J Cupido, CEO and owner of ATN Group (Pty) Ltd, which has over a 100 years of combined expertise and skills in the Roadmarking and Civil engineering field. The group employs between 250 and 300 individuals, and has grown its employment rate by 100% in the last year. www.atngroup.co.za
  4. 2014 Innovator of the Year®: Lorimer Gowar, founder of Larrem (Pty) Ltd, is a leading player in South Africa’s Animal Health industry and specialises in the manufacturing of veterinary nutriceuticals, pharmaceuticals, feed additives and supplements, as well as raw material commodity sourcing. www.larrem.co.za

The competition provides prizes worth R1 340 000, which includes a cash prize of R100 000 for the overall winner and R50 000 for each of the other category winners. Each winner will also receive valuable mentorship support, networking opportunities and associated marketing and national media exposure to further drive their business’ success.

An additional award that was handed out this year was the 2014 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® Judges Prize, which was awarded to joint owners of Legaci Dry Cleaners and Laundry Services, Dudu and Leema Mofokeng. With branches based in Pretoria and a head office in Silver Lakes, the company currently has three retail outlets and an industrial plant specialising in high-end dry cleaning services for the hospitality and commercial industries, as well as individual clients.

Botes says that this prize was awarded to Legaci Dry Cleaners and Laundry Services as the business made the biggest impression on the judges. “While the business is not yet at the level of the other entrepreneurs awarded this year, in terms of size and turnover, Dudu and Leema Mofokeng have managed to grow the business organically from nothing when they first established the business in 2008. We have no doubt that this business will continue to grow and succeed.

“The competition is committed to playing a crucial role of creating awareness for local entrepreneurs, the heroes of South Africa’s economy, and in so doing contributing towards elevating the level of entrepreneurial activity in the country. We have seen first-hand how the competition has assisted past winners to grow their businesses and inspire fellow entrepreneurs in the process. We wish all of our 2014 winners continued success and will monitor the evolution of their businesses with keen interest,” concludes Botes.

Free State entrepreneur awarded Small Entrepreneur of the Year® award

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Johan Eksteen, owner of Agricon Pty Ltd – a worldwide supplier of pelletizing machinery and equipment as well as agri–processing factories – was awarded the Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year® title at the annual 2014 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® Competition, held in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 3 September 2014.

With over 15 years of experience in the agriculture industry, Eksteen has gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise in pelletizing by working in countries such as South Africa, Uganda, Australia, Singapore and New Caledonia. Pelletizing, involving the processing of materials into small dry pellets, is a common practice in industrial procedures. This process is used globally by manufacturers of animal feed or recycling facilities that specialise in processing materials for reuse.

Eksteen identifies that this process can only be successfully accomplished with specialised equipment, namely a pelletizer. “Agricon has successfully been able to supply businesses with a variety of pelleting products such as; tobacco dust, rooibos tea, human sludge waste, organic fertilizers and vermi-compost, but also specialised industry specific pelletizing equipment.”

In addition to the manufacturing of machines and equipment, the company also provides training and on-site installation for clients, as well as support following a sale or the provision of spare parts.

According to Lionel Billings, a member of the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year ® judging panel, Eksteen is a prime example of a true entrepreneur – someone who was able to not give up on his dream. “Through sheer grit and determination, Johan stabilised a struggling business, became a specialist and was able to infiltrate a difficult European market successfully with his unique business offering.”

Eksteen says that being granted the opportunity to have his business assessed by a successful and experienced panel of competition judges, as well as winning this division of the competition, has given added courage and confidence to expand his business even further. “Winning this award proves to me that the journey was worth all the hard work and sacrifices. It also provides my team and I with a new, invigorated feeling of enthusiasm to take Agricon even further.” concludes Eksteen.

For more information on Agricon Pty Ltd, please visit www.agricon-pelleting.co.za