*This article is brought to you Woolworths, committed to making a difference for our people and our planet.
- Ten years ago, a former telecommunications worker followed his dream to become a farmer
- He joined the Woolworths Enterprise and Supplier Development programme in June 2013 as an Enterprise development beneficiary and qualified for a R4.5 million loan
- This, along with mentorship and investment from neighbouring farmers has enabled him to expand his operations and become a Woolworths Farming For Future supplier
- He currently offers permanent employment to 42 people and provides 30 jobs for seasonal workers
Jimmy was born in Sophiatown and grew up in Westbury, Gauteng. At a young age, he developed a love for cooking while preparing meals for his siblings. At this time, he also nurtured a dream to one day leave the city and become a farmer. But when he grew up, the opportunity that opened up for him was a career in telecommunications. On a fortuitous day, some ten years ago, he met an American tourist who had a farm in the Magaliesburg and he wanted a South African partner to develop the farm. Jimmy saw an opportunity for his long cherished dream to become a reality. He sold his house and moved to the countryside to become a farmer, without any formal farming training or experience but with a great passion and an eagerness to learn. Today, Jimmy is one of Woolworths’ up and coming Enterprise Development suppliers supplying baby spinach, rocket, wild rocket and basil.
How Jimmy became a successful emerging farmer…
Jimmy’s piece of land was surrounded by well-established, thriving farms, so he quickly started networking with his neighbours to learn as much as he could. Woolies supplier, Johan van den Bosch from Jomajoco farms was impressed with Jimmy’s passion for farming and desire to learn. He offered to mentor Jimmy and teach him all that he knew. Jimmy started farming basil and rocket on six hectares which he supplied to local green grocers but he soon became a lettuce grower for Jomajoco. In order to grow his operation, Jimmy needed investment, and so Johan introduced him to neighbouring In2Foods and Woolworths.
Jimmy immediately joined the Woolworths Enterprise and Supplier Development programme and formed a partnership with In2Foods. After assessing the viability of Jimmy’s farming business, Woolworths offered Jimmy a loan of R4.5 million. The bulk of the money was spent on a much-needed Multispan greenhouse structure, more than a hectare in size,so that Jimmy could grow baby spinach throughout the year, as it protects the plants from the harsh cold winters and excessive rain and hail in summer. The balance of the loan was spent on shade netting to also protect the plants from the elements. In2Foods also invested R4 million for other essential infrastructure such as netting machinery, a tractor and a truck. Jimmy also now gets his technical support from In2Foods.
Jimmy has expanded his cultivated land to 15 hectares, he currently employs 42 permanent employees and an additional 30 seasonal workers. One of Jimmy’s seasonal workers is his youngest daughter who shares Jimmy’s passion for farming and is currently studying a BA Agriculture at the University of the Free State. Jimmy looks forward to welcoming her into his business on a full-time basis once she has completed her studies.
Growing good food reignited Jimmy’s passion for cooking and he considers himself a self-taught ‘gourmet’ cook who has an extensive foodie book collection and is inspired by the BBC’s Food Channel. One of Jimmy’s signature dishes is his herb chicken and he uses the herbs that he grows as his secret ingredients.
“Woolworths is committed to the sustainable growth of South Africa’s economy through supporting emerging and small enterprises to become sustainable Woolies suppliers. Jimmy is a great example of an emerging farmer with the passion and drive to grow his business to create much needed jobs and supply us with quality products that our customers expect. We welcome the opportunity to work with our existing suppliers, like In2foods to create market opportunities and skills development for small growers,” comments Zinzi Mgolodela, Woolworths Head of BEE & Transformation.
Woolworths Enterprise Development & Supplier Development programme in Agriculture
The Woolworths (WW) Enterprise Development (ED) and Supplier Development (SD) programme has been designed primarily to support black owned enterprises in the greater supply chain, including primary & secondary suppliers. It removes the barriers of entry into the Woolworths supply chain for small, medium black and black woman – owned enterprises. Over the last four years, Woolworths has had an accumulated procurement spend of R1.1 billion with Enterprise Development and Supplier Development beneficiaries & disbursed R 50.6 million in loans as financial support for some of these enterprises. The programme has created 808 sustainable jobs & positively impacted on 3232 people.
The Identification and process to become part of the Woolworths Enterprise Development & Supplier Development programme:
Step 1: Identification of ED/SD supplier /farmer
There are 3 possible options for businesses and farmers to enter our ED/SD programme:
- Via a Woolworths Business Unit
The WW ED/SD programme set targets per business unit within Woolworths to encourage the business to embrace small emerging black farmers and suppliers. This results in business units identifying an opportunity for an empowerment project, investigating farmer options and presenting them to the ED/SD office for consideration.
- Farmer/Supplier approaching WW
Emerging farmer/s can approach the WW ED/SD office requesting to be part of the programme. The ED/SD office will then approach the relevant business unit to investigate if there is a niche for that farmer/s.
- Via an existing supplier
WW encourages their suppliers to join them in transforming South Africa. Consequently suppliers can identify an opportunity and approach us with a specific farmer/s in mind. In these instances most of the time the ED supplier will initially supply WW via an existing/primary supplier who has an established infrastructure. As the ED supplier’s business grows then they could invest in their own infrastructure and be considered for direct supply.
Step 2: Does this farmer/supplier qualify for the WW ED/SD programme?
Once a potential ED/SD supplier/farmer has been identified, we need to establish the viability of the project so the ED/SD office complies a business case. The business case tests if the supplier/farmer is a strategic fit, the viability of the enterprise and if the farmer/supplier can deliver commercial KPI’s. The business case also identifies gaps for support from which the ED/SD office compiles a development plan for the farmer/supplier. It defines the roles of Woolworths, primary supplier, outside mentor and any other parties involved. It also identifying gaps and then provides the support to address these gaps i.e. financial and non-financial support. Financial support in form of loans or shorter payment terms and/or non-financial support like business development. The business case is then presented to different Woolworths Credit Committees depending on the amount required for approval. Once approved, the business case is implemented.
In the last fiscal Woolworths ED/SD contribution was R84.2 mil of which 23.16% was in agriculture. Woolworths believes that emerging farmers are crucial to the sustainability of our food production in South Africa and they offer us the opportunity to introduce innovative products like indigenous or organic eggs. They also extend and diversify our local supplier footprint helping us minimise transport costs and reducing our carbon footprint. And of course we are committed to empowering small emerging farmers and businesses.
The following products are currently being supplied by enterprises that are part of the Woolworths ED and SD programme
- Indigenous & fruit plants
- Tenderstem broccoli
- Speciality carrots
- Green beans
- Baby leeks
- Cauliflower
- Indigenous and organic eggs
- Malt drink
- Baby spinach
- Rocket
- Wild Rocket
- Basil
