Nkosana Mtimkulu, co-owner of South Western Dairy, knows that building a business requires a lot of hard work, perseverance and never backing down from challenges.
As most of you know, dairy farming plays a critical economic and nutritional role in the lives of many smallholder farmers. The dairy industry is the fifth-largest agricultural industry in the country, providing a sustainable living for thousands of small- and large-scale producers.
He started South Western Dairy 10 years ago alongside his father, Stephen, in Groot Marico, North-West. This father & son partnership draws on the experience of age on the one hand and the energy and enthusiasm of youth on the other hand.
“I have a great relationship with my father, we work very well together. we always look for the best possible solution and outcome that will benefit the business. We understand each other’s strengths, and fill the gaps in areas that require improvement”
They started small but over the years, their farm has grown massively, they supply the neighbouring community with fresh milk.
“I started researching the dairy-processing business and found out about the equipment needed, and getting funding to enable us to get this done,”
After two years, he could see that their business was moving in the right direction. Their dairy factory is based in Tshwane and employs five people.
In 2014 they expanded their milking operation to secondary milk processing. Their products are pasteurised fresh milk, Amasi (cultured milk), Yogurt, Drinking yogurt and Dairy blends. Currently they supply Big Save wholesalers, OBC stores, as well as several coffee shops in Gauteng.
When Covid-19 hit Mzansi, they were forced to put changer their plans and enlist the help of other farmers to come on board and supply them with milk, and also big wholesalers to give their products a chance and the community to support them.
According to Nkosana, South Western Dairy is committed to the progressive agricultural-transformation agenda that will help create jobs, alleviate poverty and sustain food security.
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