Who we are

Wildeklawer is both South Africa's biggest single producer of onions for the domestic market and a significant exporter. In season, the company packs more than 2.4 million onions a day.

It is also a significant potato producer, growing up to 5% of South Africa's total potato production in season.

But for the Wildeklawer husband-and-wife team, Louis and Cora de Kock, size is just one of the company's characteristics - and probably not the most significant.

Whether it is onions or potatoes, quality is of much more importance.

Engineer-turned-farmer Louis' drive for sustained quality begins with what is carefully planted in the rich, fertile soils of the Wildeklawer farm on the banks of the Vaal River, near Barkly-West, in South Africa's Northern Cape Province - the strongest onion seedlings, nurtured from the best seed available internationally and the best seed potatoes, grown by South Africa's leading seed potato suppliers.

It continues with the diligent care of the onion and potato crops while they grow, to harvesting, packaging and dispatch to customers.

Under Louis' watchful eye, the "Wildeklawer way" has become a South African agricultural benchmark - a methodology that incorporates the best in science and technology with a range of human skills and experience that machines are unlikely ever to replace; a methodology that acknowledges the continuing importance of people in the country's burgeoning economy.

The onion-potato match, Louis says, could really have been made in heaven, to coin a phrase. The respective seasons for each crop are such that Wildeklawer's key resources - its soil, packhouse and people - can be utilised the whole year round, either for onion or potato production.

Lawyer-turned-marketer Cora is Wildeklawer's key contact with customers - wholesale and retail - at home and beyond. To Cora falls two all important tasks: consistently conveying Wildeklawer's commitment to quality, and introducing consumers to the growing Wildeklawer onion family and potato range.