In 2009 an advertisement for hydroponic farming caught my eye and we decided this would be a fantastic way of utilising our 2.2ha plot in Bredell, Gauteng, which was underutilised. We wanted something to farm and was told that peppers were the most difficult plant to grow hydroponically. This inspired us to investigate the statement, as we were of the opinion that if we can overcome the challenges of the infamous pepper this will enable us to grow any other plant hydroponically. And, so we made the decision to commence hydroponic pepper horticulture cultivation. From this we embarked on a hobby that consisted of 750 plants that were housed in one hydroponic tunnel, which is still in use today. This endeavour seemed to be challenging yet rewarding, which became the passion we now thrive upon. We made the decision after a successful season to expand the hobby into a small business venture and erected an additional tunnel. This was when CLV Vegies came to life. The following season was even more successful provided us with a clear indication that this was a sound financial investment. The following seasons the business continued to grow and additional tunnels was erected, which provided the platform for continuous growth and learning as we progressed. However, as big white tunnel houses began appearing in our back garden we started to get enquiries from other local farmers who were interested to learn the methodologies we applied to ensure the continuous growth of our peppers.

As the interest increased from fellow farmers and the demand for the supply of peppers grew, in 2012 we established a growers farming collective called ‘Pepper Valley’ initially with two other farmers in our area. Pepper Valley’s first season proved to be a great success producing some 57 tonnes of peppers to the local market. Following this thriving season, we received much more interest from other local growers who wished to join the Pepper Valley and as such Pepper Valley now has a collective of six producers. Our 2013 season proved to be a great success for Pepper Valley where a total of 79.514 tonnes of peppers were produced for the local market.

Pepper Valley prides itself in providing high quality produce to our consumers and this is achieved through dedicated employees who are responsible for specific blocks of plants. With detailed training the employees are capable to identify plants that need additional attention, as well as any potential issues that may arise during the growing season. This provides us with an efficient method of recognising and solving issues. Also, each producers involved in Pepper Valley follows the same methodology of growing peppers, which adds to the proficiency of collaboration in producing and dealing with any issues that may arise.

To our astonishment in January 2014 Pepper Valley was invited to be interviewed for Kyknet and Dagbreek Landbousake after an article was published with Farmers Weekly in November 2013. The interview covered all aspects of our hydroponic farming and the farming collective. We were really honoured to be interviewed as it showed us that hard work and not giving up on a hobby can be really worth it.

Today in 2014, the Pepper Valley business has a total of 29 tunnels through the collective. Our production is seasonal; this being from mid-November to June each year. Our aim for the coming season is that with our team of collective producers and dedicated farming staff Pepper Valley will continue to grow and produce delicious South African grown peppers to the local market.