THIRTY years ago on March 1, 1979, Tobie and Sannie Fourie bought a small business in Messina, called Limpopo Dairy. It consisted of 15 cows, of which only seven were producing milk.

‘The Messina community in those days did not trust fresh milk. The challenge was to build up their trust in the use of fresh milk by delivering only the best quality,’ says Tobie Fourie, in an article commemorating the dairy’s 25th anniversary in a local newspaper. At that stage, there was a market for only 33 litres of fresh milk per day. Although this milk was not pasteurised, it was certified and did not contain any harmful or decaying bacteria. With a lot of motivation, coupled with door-to-door deliveries in glass bottles, 1200 litres of milk was eventually sold per day.

‘Then in 1983, Kumek, a large milk producer during that era, moved to Pietersburg from Louis Trichardt. We were approached by the City Council to open a milk shop. About the same time, the president of old Venda, the Honourable Patrick Mphephu sent a messenger to invite Tobie Fourie to visit him. ‘He asked me to come and settle south of the Soutpansberg because his people also had a need for fresh milk,’ explains Mr Fourie.

For these two compelling reasons, the family bought their current farm, part of Ledig and in April 1984 built a cowshed, small factory and a feeding shed. By December 1984, the 154 cows were moved. Now there were 107 cows producing 1200 litres of milk per day. The Fourie family lived in a mobile caravan for 18 months developing the business before building a house for the family. These were testing times and are remembered by the family as a time that brought them very close together.

The business grew from strength to strength and expanded as time went on. In 1996 Bishop Lekganyane of the Zionist Christian Church and 70 000 of its members visited the farm to pray for the family and the business. The business received wonderful support over the years for being involved in community development.

Hygienik Dairy in Polokwane, one of the largest competitors for Limpopo Dairy at the time, was bought by the family in December 2002. All manufacturing activities were moved to the Limpopo dairy factory to ensure top quality. Hygienik Dairy in the meantime matured while focusing on Polokwane and the southern part of the Limpopo Province.

Technology is one of the most important parts of the business and the company was the first in the southern hemisphere to install a 26 point rotary inside milker from Sweden. Growing with the latest technology available helped the company to stay in touch with world trends. The factory is audited often by leading food auditing firms and complies with all regulations. No wonder it is one of the leading food factories in the province!

Today Limpopo Dairy milk 700 cows and produce 20 000 litres of milk per day. The factory produces between 45 000 litres and 60 000 litres of different dairy products per day. The company owns the largest Goats dairy in South Africa being the sole supplier of fresh goat milk and yoghurt to Woolworths nationally. Export to Zimbabwe started in May 2009 and is growing at an incredible rate.

Today, Tobie and Sannie Fourie’s children and their spouses are part of the management team responsible for the daily running of the business. It is a rare phenomenon, but the founders are still involved and trust a hands-on approach to ensure that their legacy will live on for a long, long time.