Mzansi’s deciduous industry has a new boss and she’s ushering in exciting new empowerment and transformation initiatives for the foreseeable future.
The newly-appointed general manager (GM) of Culdevco Pty Ltd in Stellenbosch, Mishkaat Anderson, is excited about the early signs of transformation in the deciduous industry.
“Transformation is imperative, but the question is, how to do it right? I firmly believe it is about getting the right people in the right places,” said Anderson.
Taking over the reins
Anderson is the predecessor of Dr Leo von Mollendor, who was a leader in the marketing and licensing company for the South African deciduous fruit industry varieties. Von Mollehoff recently retired at Culdevco after dedicating 14 years of his life to the company.
Von Mollendor also played a role in the transformation of Culdevco, elevating it to level two BEE, including the formation of Cultipowered NPC.
Anderson hails from Wellington and completed her high school career in Paarl. Later on she attended Stellenbosch University to obtain her BSc degree, as well as a postgraduate degree in industrial engineering.
But that’s not all. Over the years she has completed various auditing courses and has 15 years of managerial experience in fields such as wine, plastics, clothing, construction, and within the chocolate industry.
“I was interested in Culdevco, specifically, because it revolves around fruit and being part of food production is a great motivator for me,” she explained.
Different varietes
As the GM of Culdevco, there will be more than 150 deciduous fruit varieties under her management. These include varieties of apples, pears, plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots and table grapes, as well as apple and stone fruit rootstocks.
Culdevco is a marketing and commercialisng company and also a representative of the five primary producer associations in the South African deciduous fruit industry.
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