At dawn in Limpopo, Phontsho Mathebola walks between rows of lime trees, checking the irrigation valves that feed them. "Before the limes," says Mathebola, "there were bushes, rocks, trees – nothing. Now we are surrounded by beautiful orchards.
Only three years ago, this was scrubland outside the town of Hoedspruit, a fruit-growing region near South Africa's iconic Kruger National Park. Today, it is the Moletele Lime Project, home to around 34,000 trees that produce more than a million limes a year. Behind this project – now the largest lime producer in the country – stands a unique partnership between a global brewer, a local farming group and a rural community. While the three came together to meet a supply challenge, they have since offered a lesson in how agricultural investment can benefit both commercial and community needs.
Finding solutions in a shortage
Located in a sunny subtropical zone, Limpopo is one of South Africa's most fertile regions and one of its biggest fruit producers. While it has long grown mangoes and avocados, it was never known for its limes. Neither was South Africa, for that matter.
Until recently, less than a tenth of the country's nearly 100,000 hectares of citrus orchards were devoted to lime trees. Even though the soil and climate in places like Limpopo were ideal for the crop, farmers instead focused on oranges and lemons largely for the export market. That left limited production of limes, items more often associated with drink garnishes than South African food and found inconsistently on the market.
That domestic shortage was a growing issue for South African Breweries (SAB), a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The company saw limes becoming more popular, often used to garnish their beers in an expanding food and beverage market. In 2020, SAB set out to build a reliable domestic source. The location was no accident.
Around Hoedspruit, the soil, rainfall and temperatures are perfect for citrus. The Moletele community already had the land; what it lacked was the capital and technical know-how to farm at scale. SAB invested R19 million (£800,000) and partnered with the Komati Fruit Group, which exports six million cartons of citrus to more than 30 countries around the globe. Komati provided expertise and equipment to get the groves established. Hoedspruit proved ideal not just for limes, but also for community development.
Growth rooted in the community
South Africa's unemployment rate is almost 32%. In rural areas such as Limpopo, the agriculture sector employs close to a million people, but most jobs are low-paying or seasonal. The Moletele Lime Project could show a way to change the equation.
According to SAB, fifteen people are employed full-time – including Mathebola, who started as a temporary worker three years ago – while seasonal work supports dozens more households. "I studied farming, but I had no job," says Mathebola. "I was sitting at home, not happy with myself. This project changed my life. I'm able to support myself and my family." She also recalls how the land began to transform around the community.
"When I came here in 2022, there was nothing. Now there are 60 hectares of limes. I was involved in planting most of these trees. Seeing them grow makes me very proud." - Phontsho Mathebola, valve operator, Moletele Lime Project.
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Then, the project began to change the community itself. Mathebola describes how the employees were taught the farmers techniques to boost yields, such as split-block planting, soil-moisture sensors and protective netting. For her, knowledge exchange like this represents a way forward for communities across South Africa. "We did not come with skills. They [Komati and SAB] gave us the skills," Mathebola adds. "When you trust people with skills, projects like this one grow."
Building resilience and knowledge for South African agriculture
The lime farm has also been a boon for South Africa's important agricultural base. Within three years, the project has gone from zero to around 900 tonnes of limes harvested annually. "We are heavily invested in agriculture… because then we're not reliant on international shipping, trade tariffs. It's super important to be local not only for the communities, but also as a security supply issue," Rivett-Carnac says.
The project has also helped keep some of the less tangible value within the community. Rivett-Carnac says Moletele's young farmers can apply the methods they have been taught to other crops that they can sell on the market or directly to other corporations.
"Once you have the expertise, the skills, the knowledge… and you are generating revenue, the ability to do that is much easier," he explains. "If this community is still growing limes and hopefully different citrus in five, 10, 20 years' time… that's ultimately how things can scale. You can see how much fruit our hands have made."
As she tends to the farm, Mathebola sees proof of progress in every tree she touches. "Plants need water, nutrients, sun and air. We prune – this year was our first pruning, and we did it ourselves. You can see how much fruit our hands have made," she says. Her favourite section, Block L12, still makes her smile. "When I came, the trees were not as good as they look. They were like a sick child you help to make healthy. That is my hard work to see these trees have grown. They are producing more fruit than other blocks."
Now, she hopes the next generation will continue the work she has started.
"I'm supporting my children through this project. My family and friends, they are already benefiting. This farm is growing. It is promising it is going to be here for long. Maybe one day one of my children will follow my steps." - Phontsho Mathebola, valve operator, Moletele Lime Project.
For SAB, that sense of continuity captures the purpose of the partnership itself. "It's evidence of how you can do meaningful transformation in South Africa… in a way that is good for business, good for the communities and ultimately good for the country," says Rivett-Carnac. "Meaningful transformation is not charity. It needs to work."
