Manufacturing and converting more than 50 million square metres of corrugated board per annum, Houers, situated in Letsitele in Limpopo, is one of the major suppliers of corrugated cartons to the agricultural market in South Africa.
Although most of these cartons are for the citrus industry, the company is a major industry supplier of specialised cartons and packaging for agricultural products, including tropical and subtropical fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy products.
In 1982, a group of citrus farmers set up an independent, farmer-owned carton manufacturing facility in Letsitele with limited capital.
Today, the co-operative is still fully owned by farmers, and day-to-day management is in the hands of CEO, Wimpie Mostert. The business is going from strength to strength and supplies fruit cartons and other packaging to a broad agricultural sector.
Mostert feels strongly about supporting and forging relationships with local suppliers of paper. "We need to support our local suppliers such as Sappi and Mondi. If they should ever close their doors, we will be at the mercy of global suppliers and availability."
Houers provides employment to 120 fulltime staff and up to 250 seasonal workers contracted during peak manufacturing season. Upskilling workers and promising candidates from the local community is one of their priorities, says Mostert.
He says Houers prides itself on continuously adding value and delivering quality products at competitive prices on time. "Our aim is to exceed our clients' expectations by constantly exploring new opportunities and ideas."
TRAINING INITIATIVES
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