With the call to increase job opportunities in agriculture, many farmers have been left scratching their heads over the economic implications. But the Schroeders of Mpumalanga have found a winning recipe in coffee production: its high labour component and profitability levels make the crop viable. Lindi Botha visited the mother-and-son team on their farm near Hazyview.
The coffee industry has grown in leaps and bounds as a global coffee culture pushes up demand. It is estimated that more than two billion cups of coffee are consumed globally every day.
With this increasing demand, on-farm prices have remained steady. This justifies the crop’s considerable labour expense, according to Hazyview coffee farmer Wolfgang Schroeder of Shiloh Estates.
He adds that with this high labour component, there is much incentive to develop the coffee industry in South Africa. “Workers get paid per kilogram picked and they all achieve minimum wage plus 50%.”
Coffee farming requires about 2,5 workers/ha in season and one permanent worker for every 3ha throughout the year.
“The price we get for the coffee is good enough to make the high wage bill viable,” says Wolfgang. “It’s an ideal job for women and the elderly because it’s not backbreaking. We also find the women pick the berries more gently.”
COFFEE SHOP
The coffee farm has opened up further opportunities for the Schroeders. Two years ago, they launched a coffee shop on the farm, enabling visitors to taste the very coffee they can see growing from the deck.
Wolfgang’s mother, Mariana Schroeder, who runs the shop, says that when the coffee farm started taking off, they realised there was a need for people to taste the product on-farm.
“We converted an old boathouse next to the farm dam into a small restaurant,” she explains. “Initially, we only sold cake with the coffee, but as we’ve grown in popularity, we’ve expanded the menu.”
The tranquil atmosphere and farm vistas ensure a steady stream of tourists. Mariana adds that the locals have also supported the venture.
AN EARLY SETBACK
The flourishing coffee plantations make it easy to forget that the operation started disastrously.
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