CASIDRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE VISIT TO PROJECTS
Casidra’s Executive Committee took the Board of Directors on a one-day project tour with the aim of inducting our newly appointed Directors to the type of projects that our company is involved with on a daily basis. Four projects were visited, namely the Alien fuel factory, Holsloot, Bamboo Innovations and African Roots Wine Farm/Seven Sisters Vineyards.
The Alien Fuel factory takes the biomass of cut alien vegetation and manufactures compressed wooden pellets. These pellets are fed into patented burner-boiler systems that create energy for medium-sized industrial applications. The Alien Fuel factory manager, Bruce Johnson, anticipated that the green movement was going to offer mega business opportunities to entrepreneurs. Alien Fuel needs a consistent flow of biomass for its factories and the factory would like to partner with Casidra for this reason.
Holsloot’s diversion works form part of the Disaster Management Programme for various farms alongside the Holsloot River situated approximately 9,5 km to the north of the nearest town Rawsonville located within the Breede Valley Local Municipality. The scope of works entailed the construction of a roller bucket weir, diversion structure, a concrete access walkway bridge and flood walls in the Holsloot River, with a pipeline abstracting water from the river and transporting it by means of gravity to a distribution chamber. The relocation of the existing gravel road also forms part of this contract. Casidra successfully completed the implementation of this project on a high note.
Bamboo Innovations is a project that farms with hydroponic tunnels and belongs to one beneficiary, Mr Pelo Gabaraane. The project was funded for electricity, a solar system and production inputs by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s CASP Programme through Casidra.
Vivian Kleynhans of African Roots Wines/Seven Sisters Vineyards entered the industry as a self-taught wine entrepreneur. Her vision was to establish a business and legacy for generations to come. In 2009, Vivian and her six sisters and brother acquired a piece of barren land on which they built their new home. This farm is situated in the heart of the Winelands in Stellenbosch, South Africa and receives international and local tourists to do wine tastings and wine and food pairings. Now 10 years later, Vivian has developed the land where vines have been planted as well as a tasting room, restaurant and a wine production facility have been built.
The tour was a huge success and the Board was very impressed with the positive feedback received from the beneficiaries and the great job our staff members are doing to change the lives of the people.