Having grown up on a farm, I have always loved agriculture.

Born and raised in Wellington, it is not not only a love of agriculture but, more specifically, “farming in an ethical, humane way”, which led Groenewald to establish Elgin Free Range Chickens.

“When I started, there was no one else farming free range, so I really had to teach myself, and learn by trial and error, because there were no mentors in the field. In the beginning, it was also very male dominated, but more and more women are joining the profession, which is wonderful.”
The 51-year-old has won earn a slew of awards, including Female Farmer of the Year (in 2006, 2014 and 2018), the 2010 CEO Most Influential Women In Business Award and Enterprising Women of the Year in 2019. Her business also scooped the 2014 Business of the Year Award.
For Groenewald, who obtained her B.Sc Agriculture degree from the University of Stellenbosch, the accolades pale in comparison to the reality of seeing her once-fledgling business grow into the success it is today.

“For me, my greatest achievement to date is simply to have grown from a small home-based business producing 100 chickens a month to a big, commercially viable free-range industry, producing more than 130 000 chickens per week. All this while maintaining all the growing standards, animal welfare practices and premium quality. Especially because, when expanding, so many companies lose sight of their integrity and core principles.”
In addition to doggedly clinging to her integrity and core principles, Groenewald firmly believes that the central ingredient to the success of any business is it employees. “By investing in your staff,” she says, “your company will grow naturally.”

Groenewald, a trailblazer in this sector, adds: “I really believe that more women should consider the agricultural sector as a career, because women are nurturers and, as such, make the best farmers.”

Whether it is the agricultural sector or any other they are considering entering, Groenewald has this advice for young women: “To make a success in life, you need to go through lots of adversity. Use these tough times to learn, to become stronger and wiser, and then, to create out-of-box solutions.”
— Carl Collison

Instagram:: @elginthefreerangechicken