It is the second time that this energetic 34-year-old has walked away with the award, which he also won in 2018. Wolvaardt is married to Caela, and the couple has a 3-year-old son, Simon. A second son is due in October this year. Hannes matriculated at Ben Vorster High School in 2006 and obtained his mixed farming diploma from the Tshwane University of Technology. Hannes and his brother, Riaan, started farming in 2011 in Letsitele with three hectares of green peppers.

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Wolvaardt Boerdery has now grown into a business farming 30 hectares of peppers in underspecialised net houses, 26 hectares tomatoes, and 42 hectares of citrus. Hannes told the Herald that their produce is marketed to most supermarket chains such as Spar, Shoprite, and Checkers and also goes to the rest of Africa.

He was hailed at the awards ceremony as a true entrepreneur. “Hannes uses his people management skills and willingness to improve processes through innovation and technology to make Wolvaardt Boerdery a well-known, high-quality brand in its field, throughout fresh produce markets and retailers,” said Piet Engelbrecht, president of AgriLimpopo.