Tag: Business Partners

Finalists announced for premier entrepreneurial competition’s 30th edition

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Celebrating three full decades of discovering and cultivating the best entrepreneurial talent that South Africa has to offer, the highly esteemed Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS has announced the shortlist of 15 standout entrants who have made it through to the final round of this year’s competition.

According to Gugu Mjadu, spokesperson for the 2018 edition of the competition, the 189 entries that were received this year really upped the game in terms of entrepreneurial talent. “Every year, we think that we’ve seen it all, but each year we find ourselves being further blown away by the level of talent being exhibited by the South African entrepreneurs who enter the competition.”

In alphabetical order, the finalists for the 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS are:

Andrew and Glenn Eriksen – Cango Wildlife Ranch; Beverley Gumbi – Isivuno Containers Business; Chike and Damaris  Igwegbe – Green City Solutions, t/a Mustbuy; Christina Ester Geldart – Marven Studios; Esi-Gifty Agbohla – Eli-Bionatural International;  James Barrington-Bronwn – NewSpace Systems; Kerry and Craig Motherwell – Foxolution SE CC; Leboneng Mathebula – Gridbow Engineers; Louw Barnardt and Dana Pretorius – Outsourced CFO; Muhammed Simjee and Sofiah Docrat – A2D24 Dot Com; Pepe Marais and Gareth Leck – Joe Public; Phillipa Geard – Recruit My Mom; Praveshen Naidoo – e-Waste Africa; Terence Naidu – EnvisionIt Stock and Tshegofatso Samuel and Motlapele Molefi – Modi Mining.

These 15 finalists operate in various sectors of the economy and are based across the country, says Mjadu. “While the majority of these finalists originate from Gauteng (47%) and the Western Cape (33%), we received entries from all provinces and KwaZulu-Natal (13%) and the North West (7%) are both also represented in the finalist list this year.”

With a wide variety of industries being represented, from mining and engineering to recycling and advertising, there is one thing that Mjadu says all 15 finalists share in common – their invaluable contribution to the South African economy. “The SME sector continues to play a vital role in the South African economy, so these trail-blazing self-starters need to be celebrated for what they are – job creators and economic change-makers,” Mjadu adds.

She explains that the next step in the independent judging process is the selection of the overall 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year® winner, as well as winners for each of the five categories, namely emerging, small business, medium business, job creator and innovator. “By running the evaluation process through three different filtering stages, we are able to ensure that every finalist is put under the microscope to avoid any human error or bias from tainting the results.”

The 2018 finalists stand the chance to win prizes worth R2 million, which include cash prizes of R70 000 per category and R200 000 for the overall winner. “Beyond monetary prices, previous finalists have benefitted greatly from the various networking opportunities and associated media exposure that the competition offers. Past winners have also gone on to win international awards and form valuable partnerships as a result of their success in the competition.”

With competition winners being announced on 5 September 2018 at the official awards breakfast in Johannesburg, Mjadu says that the judges have got their work cut out for them this year. “The calibre of entrants this year looks to be extremely high so deciding on winners will be no easy feat. We wish all finalists the best of luck – you’re all already winners in our eyes,” concludes Mjadu.

SA’s best entrepreneurs announced in premier entrepreneurial competition

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Following a gruelling judging process and assessment of 15 successful finalists, South Africa’s premier annual entrepreneurial competition, Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, announced this six year’s winners at an awards ceremony held on 6 September 2017 in Johannesburg. The event saw Willem van der Merwe, owner of Africa Biomass Company, receiving the coveted title of this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year®.

Speaking at the event, spokesperson for the competition, Christo Botes, says that while selecting one entrepreneur to be the overall winner was no easy task – especially given the exceptionally high standard of this year’s finalists – van der Merwe was a notch above the rest in terms of the raw entrepreneurial nature of his business.

“Through the establishment of Africa Biomass Company (ABC) – which specialises in land clearing, wood chipping, and wood recycling – Willem [van der Merwe] has not only created a successful business by clearing landowners unwanted trees, he has also shaped a new industry in South Africa by introducing the novel concept of wood recycling,” he says.

www.chipper.co.za

The five 2017 category winners are:

  • 2017 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year®: Sizwe Nzima and Siraaj Adams, owners of Iyeza Health. Having started as a bicycle delivery company that delivered chronic medication from health clinics in Khayelitisha to patients’ homes in the township, Iyeza Group has evolved into a health logistics company with a wide array of capabilities. www.iyezahealth.co.za  
  • 2017 Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year®: Itumeleng Phake, founder and owner of Zenzele Fitness Group. Zenzele Fitness Group is a dynamic fitness and wellness company that is making health and fitness more accessible to South Africans in middle and lower LSM groups. www.zenzelefitness.co.za
  • 2017 Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year®: Nomfundo Mcoyi, founder and owner of Icebolethu Group. Established as Icebolethu Funerals in 2009 as a funeral parlour, with a complement of just five staff members, the business has evolved into a prominent funeral services conglomerate with international presence and around 300 employees. www.icebolethugroup.co.za
  • 2017 Job Creator of the Year®: Siphiwe Ngcobo, owner and founder of iLawu Hospitality Group. Founded in 2009 as a humble five-bedroomed B&B in Pietermaritzburg, iLawu Hospitality Group has since expanded to become one of the well-recognised hospitality and catering brands in KwaZulu-Natal, providing countless jobs to the community. www.ilawugroup.co.za/
  • 2017 Innovator of the Year®: Mpodumo Doubada, founder and owner of Pimp My Book. Pimp my Book, an ever-growing chain of campus stores across the country, was founded in 2006 on the simple premise of buying and selling used textbooks and making them significantly more affordable to students. www.pimpmybook.co.za

Now in its 29th year, the Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners provides prizes worth R2 million.  Each of the five category winners received R60 000, and the overall winner received R160 000, towards further growing their businesses.

Beyond these monetary prizes, Botes adds that each winner will also receive valuable mentorship support, networking opportunities and associated marketing and national media exposure to further drive their business’ success. “Past winners have also gone on to win other prominent national and international awards and form valuable partnerships as a result of their success in the competition.”

South Africa’s leading entrepreneur of 2017 revealed

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Creating, growing and innovating a business to such a degree that a new market and industry is created is no easy feat and demonstrates many qualities of a remarkable entrepreneur.  It is thereby no surprise that Willem van der Merwe, of Africa Biomass Company (ABC) has been named this year’s overall winner in the 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, as announced at the awards ceremony held in Johannesburg on 6 September 2017.

Not only did van der Merwe capitalise on a gap in a market, he also innovated in such a way that he was able to earn additional revenue for a service he was originally being paid for.

ABC are the country’s leading experts in land clearing, wood chipping, and wood recycling. The business revolves around the novel concept of grinding up unwanted trees on site, with the use of wood chipper machines, in order to create biomass – a renewable source of fuel to produce energy. This biomass is then either sold back to the site owner or onto a secondary market, thereby essentially generating value from waste wood.

This resourcefulness stood out to the judging panel. “Willem is supplying an excellent service – that of removing unwanted trees – however, he has taken this idea one step further by creating something useful out of these trees. He is therefore not only getting paid to supply a removal service, but is also able to capitalise on that service by reselling what he has removed. This is true entrepreneurship.”

What further set van der Merwe apart from other finalists is that the existence and success of ABC are based solely on innovation, remarked one of the competition judges. After studying what was being done in other, more developed countries, van der Merwe introduced the idea of wood recycling to South Africa, starting it from scratch and essentially creating a brand new industry. Having patented and built over five machines designed specifically for wood waste, ABC remains the only company in South Africa that specialises in this service.

On being named this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year®, van der Merwe says that he is both humbled by and grateful for the opportunity. “It is always so great to learn from other entrepreneurs, so to have the opportunity to network with others in a similar position to our business has been a wonderful experience.”

For more information on Africa Biomass Company, please visit: www.chipper.co.za

Holistic funeral service provider named Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year®

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Nomfundo Mcoyi, ex-educator and now managing director of KwaZulu-Natal-based business – Icebolethu Group – was named the Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year® at the annual entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS awards ceremony, held on 6 September 2017 in Johannesburg.

Established as a funeral parlour named Icebolethu Funerals in 2009, with a complement of just five staff members, the business has evolved into a prominent funeral services conglomerate with around 300 employees. 

Today, the company consists of seven divisions offering an all-encompassing funeral service operating under the umbrella of Icebolethu Group and boasting 43 branches in and around KwaZulu-Natal, as well as a branch in the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

Considering that the funeral business is a highly competitive industry, especially in the South African small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, Mcoyi stood out to the competition’s judging panel by managing to yield tremendous growth for her business by capitalising on the already ripe market and providing a customer-centric service, while still demonstrating dignity and care to her community. “Mcoyi truly understands the market and their needs, and this has provided her with a competitive advantage over many other small firms in the industry,” the judges add.

Discussing why she believes her business is worthy of this prestigious award, Mcoyi recalls her humble beginnings after taking the decision to quit her job as an educator and start her catering business, only to be left with nothing following her divorce in 2009. In order to provide for her children, she then started a small funeral parlour based in the township of Hammersdale, KwaZulu-Natal.

In less than a decade, she has grown this one small parlour into the network it is today. “This was done by offering more than just a funeral policy to our clients,” explains Mcoyi. “Unlike most other providers in the country, we grew Icebolethu Funerals into a one-stop-shop offering clients everything from funeral services, to catering and tombstones.”

Mcoyi also attributes her business’ success to its rigorous marketing and advertising strategy that is designed to tap in to the needs of the community. “Our unique branding, combined with consistently providing an excellent service offering, has resulted in us capturing a large portion of a highly competitive South African market,” Mcoyi added.

When asked about her future plans following winning the 2017 Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year® title, Mcoyi says that she plans to expand her business further throughout South Africa, starting with Cape Town.

For more information on Icebolethu Group, please visit the website: icebolethugroup.co.za

SA’s top entrepreneurs recognised at 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition

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South Africa’s premier annual entrepreneurial competition, Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners, has named Johan Eksteen, second-time finalist and owner of Agricon, as the overall winner of the 2016 competition in Johannesburg this morning.

Speaking at the event, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners, Gugu Mjadu says that Eksteen was selected as the overall 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® winner due to his strong entrepreneurial attitude and the remarkable growth and expansion that his business has exhibited since first entering the competition two years ago.

“Since being named a finalist in the 2014 competition, Agricon has not only expanded and experienced rapid growth in turnover, but has also made improvements in its business processes which have contributed to its growth,” says Mjadu.

She adds that the high calibre of business acumen and entrepreneurial talent of the finalists this year made it no easy task for the judging panel to decide on six category winners from the 15 deserving entrepreneurs who were selected to advance to the final round of judging.

Other 2016 category winners include:

  • 2016 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year®:Vanessa Jacobs, founder and owner of Sow Delicious. Sow Delicious® is an edible gardening store, whose easy-to-grow vegetable and herb Slab of Seed® invention is making edible gardening more accessible for the ordinary, non-gardener consumer. www.sowdelicious.co.za
  • 2016 Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year®: Meisie Nkosi, owner of Bella Bonni Guest House. Four star graded Bella Bonni Guest House, based in eMalahleni (Witbank) and encompassing 18 rooms, has managed to stand the test of time during challenging economic conditions since opening its doors in 2006. www.bellabonni.co.za 
  • 2016 Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year®: Carl Pretorius, founder and owner of Just Trees. Recognised for its economically strong, yet environmentally friendly business practices, Just Trees is a wholesale tree nursery that supplies specimen container grown trees to the trade throughout South Africa, as well as to certain export markets. www.justtrees.co.za
  • 2016 Job Creator of the Year®: Michael Roberts, owner and founder of Khonology. Founded in 2013 in a response to skills shortages in the South African technology sector, Khonology has played a significant role in bridging the gap between academia and corporate expectations for graduates entering the workforce by equipping them with vital technological and financial skills. www.khonology.com
  • 2016 Innovator of the Year®: Stacey Brewer and Ryan Harrison, co-founders of SPARK Schools. SPARK Schools is a network of primary schools dedicated to delivering sustainable, affordable and high quality education by using a blended learning programme, which combines traditional classroom teaching and online learning, to individualise education for all students. www.sparkschools.co.za

Now in its 28th year, the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners aims to honour, recognise and uplift South African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by providing a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their achievements and elevate their business profiles – as well as their profits.

Mjadu says that given the current job market and economic landscape, now more than ever, South Africa needs to rally behind and support local entrepreneurs. “Given South Africa’s high unemployment rate of 26.6%, the country needs to promote entrepreneurship and support its main job creators – local entrepreneurs. Agile by nature, entrepreneurs are eternal optimists and will continue to see opportunity rather than challenges when faced with adversity.

“The 2016 group of 15 finalists have created 1071 job opportunities. This is just a small handful of South Africa’s many entrepreneurs. The more we recognise our local economic heroes, the more we can inspire other individuals to embark on their own entrepreneurial journey,” says Mjadu.

The competition provides prizes worth R2 million, with the overall winner receiving a cash prize of R150 000 and the other category winners receiving R50 000 each. Each winner also receives diagnostic analysis of their businesses coupled with valuable mentorship support, networking opportunities and associated marketing and national media exposure to further drive their business’ success. Mjadu says that while the cash prize is always valuable to a business, the true value in the entrepreneurial platform lies in the networking opportunities secured through the competition’s network.

Mjadu concludes that the success of this year’s winners is testament to the thriving level of entrepreneurial talent and success present in the country. “In addition to celebrating excellence in entrepreneurship, we hope that this impressive group of winners will inspire others to succeed in the competitive and innovative world of business.”

Corporate upskilling entrepreneur awarded Job Creator of the Year

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Michael Roberts, owner of Khonology, has been named the 2016 Job Creator of the Year® at theEntrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS awards ceremony held in Johannesburg this morning. Roberts was recognised due to the significant role he is playing in bridging the gap between academia and corporate expectations for graduates entering the workforce.

Founded in early 2013 in response to the skills shortages in South African technology landscape, Khonology is a multi-faceted African services company that provides world-class business solutions with the vision of empowering Africa through the upskilling of local talent and the creation of employment opportunities.

Khonology is carrying out this vision by allocating local talent to projects, which also drives employment throughout the continent. The candidates that are deployed to projects are trained with a particular focus on technological and financial skills which are required within the broader financial services industry.

Although the chosen candidates already have the relevant academic qualifications, these individuals are often not perceived as being attractive to employers, as they do not have the necessary professional experience. Khonology trains and converts this raw talent into competent and hardworking problem solvers for clients, specialising in delivering projects focused on the following streams; data intelligence and reporting, trade/transaction applications, reconciliation, CRM, finance and accounting systems.

With the company having already directly impacted over 120 individuals, with 100 being employed by Khonology over three years, the judging panel was impressed that Khonology has managed to show impressive results in a relatively short period of time. “Michael is clearly onto something unique here, in that he’s recruiting individuals based on their mind sets and qualifications, and refining their professional skills in order to develop more well-rounded employees that can be better marketed to big corporate employers.

“Certain accountants, for example, have all the necessary qualifications, but cannot meet the clients’ needs because they lack practical exposure. This is a situation where a business like Khonology can make a major difference and literally create employment for individuals who may otherwise be seen as ‘unfit’ for the corporate world,” explains the judges.

Roberts believes that this award brings to light the gap between small and big business in terms of the value chain. “Entrepreneurship in South Africa comes with its share of challenges and requires resilience in tough conditions. I believe small and big business need to embrace the notion of working together to explore emerging trends which will in turn help small and medium enterprises to better contribute to the eco-system.

“Winning this award is a multiplication factor for my business in terms of branding and recognition, and speaks volumes about what we trying to achieve by highlighting the successful change that we have managed to bring about thus far,” he concludes.

For more information on Khonology, please visit www.khonology.com.

Carbon-neutral wholesale nursery collects Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year® award

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Carl Pretorius, founder of the Paarl-based business – Just Trees – walked away with the Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year®award at the annual Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, held this morning in Johannesburg.

A wholesale tree nursery that supplies specimen container grown trees to the trade throughout South Africa, as well as to certain export markets, Just Trees is an extension of Pretorius’ values – including vision, courage, fun and compassion, for both people and the environment. Green engineering at its best, all trees are watered and fed responsibly using sustainable methods, and the business began measuring their carbon footprint in 2009, becoming a carbon neutral certified company in 2010. Pretorius and his team have also invested heavily in other green business practices that have resulted in a further reduction of the amount of water and pesticides that they use.

These environmentally friendly business practices contributed to making Pretorius stand out to the competition’s judging panel. “This is a very topical business in terms of environmental awareness – something that many other business models today are lacking. Carl has managed to effectively merge his personal values with those of his business and, as a result, has set himself up for a long-term career of fulfilment and success,” the judges said.

Committed to greening schools, hospitals and even, sometimes entire communities, the donation of trees is an important pillar of the business. Having initially committed to donating one tree for every 20 that are sold, Just Trees now donates one tree for every five trees sold and has already donated in excess of 30 000 trees over the years.

Pretorius initially purchased the farm in 1999 for recreational purposes and for growing his own olive trees, but his trees soon attracted interest from local landscape architects in the area, and from there the business was born. Since officially opening its doors in 2005, Just Trees has grown their stock to over 150 000 trees living on the 42ha farm, made up of 58 species sold in a variety of pot sizes, and is today the supplier of choice to landscape architects with repeat business making up about 75% of total orders.

Pretorius says being selected as a winner in the competition is incredibly rewarding and confirms his entrepreneurial path. “Being acknowledged for my achievements gives our business the credibility and platform to spread the message of environmentally sustainable business practices. Just Trees is proof that one can run a profitable business, while still focussing on doing things right and having a positive influence on those around them.”

He adds that recognising entrepreneurial talent through competitions such as this one is essential as it creates awareness around the role that entrepreneurs play in the economy. “It also motivates others, especially younger generations, to be part of a more environmentally friendly entrepreneurial movement, which is essential to long term growth and the success of our country.” 

For more information on Just Trees, please visit www.justtrees.co.za.

Innovative gardening store owner recognised as emerging entrepreneur of the year®

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Vanessa Jacobs, the innovative business woman behind Sow Delicious®, whose inspirational vegetable and herb Slab of Seed® invention is taking edible gardening to a mainstream audience, has been named the 2016 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year® at the annual Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, held in Johannesburg this morning.

Sow Delicious® began as an online niche gardeningstore in August 2013, through which a gap in the market for “grow-your-own” products was identified. This prompted Jacobs to launch her Slab of Seed® invention in 2014, which quickly evolved into the business’ core offering, changing its focus from an online store to wholesale for retail.  

The Sow Delicious® niche is that its Slab of Seed® only grows plants you can eat with each slab growing a mix of three different 100% Heirloom varieties. Making edible gardening more accessible for the ordinary, non-gardener consumer; the slabs grow just as well in pots as they would in a normal garden, thereby making them ideal for novice gardeners living in flats or townhouses. As the blocks are pre-fertilised with organic fertiliser, they germinate twice as fast and hold water three times longer than soil.

According to the judging panel, Jacobs is deserving of the award as she has tapped into a budding market that has unlimited potential for growth and expansion. “This idea is truly original and embodies everything that our competition stands for – true entrepreneurism in identifying a gap in the market, researching the idea and then capitalising on the opportunity. In our opinion, it is only a matter of time before this product takes off in South Africa and around the world.”

Discussing why Sow Delicious® is a worthy winner of this title, Jacobs says that their innovation has revolutionised the grow-your-own market in South Africa. “We feel that our trademarked invention – the Slab of Seed® – addresses three fundamental issues relevant to our society – health, food security and affordability. We successfully changed 34 000 South African lives last year and now we want to change the rest of the world.”

For more information on Sow Delicious® please visit www.sowdelicious.co.za.

Education company named innovator of the year in national entrepreneurial competition

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Due to their fresh approach to education, combined with their business acumen, Stacey Brewer and Ryan Harrison, founders of SPARK Schools, have been recognised for their passion to provide a solution to the education challenges in South Africa. The duo have been awarded the Innovator of the Year® award at the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS awards ceremony, which was held this morning in Johannesburg.

SPARK Schools is a network of primary schools dedicated to delivering accessible, high quality education by using a blended learning programme, which combines traditional classroom teaching and online learning, to individualise education for all students. The SPARK Schools model is the first of its kind for primary school students in Africa and the software SPARK scholars use is adaptive, allowing for highly individualised student practice and assessment.

SPARK Ferndale, the first school in the SPARK Schools network, opened in 2013, and achieved tremendous results in its first year of operation. Following on this success, the number of schools in the network has grown by 700%, with the number of scholars and staff members having grown by 1411% and 1300% respectively. The SPARK Schools networkcurrently includes a SPARK Cresta (opened in 2014); SPARK Maboneng and SPARK Bramley (both opened in 2015); SPARK Midrand, SPARK Lynedoch (Stellenbosch), SPARK Rynfield and SPARK Centurion (all opened in 2016).

According to the competition’s judging panel, it was SPARK Schools’ competitive advantage and solid business model that made the business stand out above the rest. “They don’t only have the curriculum right, but also the correct mix of quality and price, thereby making it accessible to all. This is set to make a huge impact on South Africa,” the judges commented.

School fees are benchmarked on what government’s total cost to educate is and the business ensures that “affordable” means affordable to the country. In terms of cost, SPARK Schools are therefore cheaper than government schools and significantly cheaper than private schools, while in terms of quality, the SPARK Schools’ students are outperforming the national standard by at least one level. This combination of lower price and great quality is what sets SPARK Schools apart from competitors.

Stacey and Ryan are true innovators who have taken the current structure of education in South Africa and challenged it. The duo, who are dedicated to making a difference in the future of South Africa’s children, aims to inspire others by their success. “At SPARK, we aim to inspire fellow South Africans to ensure that they address the issues facing the country and to make sure that South Africa is better because of them.  We hope that by winning such a prestige award such as this, other South Africans will be encouraged to serve and address the needs of our country,” the duo concludes.

Visit www.sparkschools.co.za for more information on SPARK Schools.

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.