NELSPRUIT – Families are gearing up towards celebrating Easter weekend by decorating, hiding and eating colourful chocolate eggs. In the excitement, strides made in the industry by the more regular chicken egg, have almost gone unnoticed.
During the past several years, the province’s main egg producer has seen it become one of the primary manufacturers and distributors in the country.
Heidel Eggs has been the main contributor to the share of Mpumalanga’s substantial increase in the national market, where only Gauteng and the Western Cape outperform it as the primary producers and distributors in South Africa.
This is according to the latest Business Monitor International report about protein distribution, which ranks Mpumalanga as one of the highest distributors of protein in the country.
Gauteng is still the highest with 39,6 per cent of the distribution. Due to the perishable nature of eggs, nationwide delivery is difficult and is only achieved by the major players and Limpopo.
Mr Leander Robbertse, marketing manager at Heidel Eggs said they were proud to be the leading egg producer in Mpumalanga. “We would like to thank all our loyal customers for their continued support over the years. Without them we could not have grown into the successful company we are today,” Robbertse said.
Heidel Eggs produces about 12 million dozen eggs per year. It also operates establishments in Mozambique and Swaziland under the brands Galovos and Usuthu Poultry, respectively.
It has also attained its hazard-analysis and critical control-points accreditation every year since 2006. It is a proud member of the Proudly South African campaign and subscribe to the code of good practice of the South African Poultry Association, adhering stringently to its stipulations.
However, the company is not all business. It has made a profound effort to plough back into the community it serves.
Its corporate social-responsibility efforts are primarily centred in the surrounding areas, which means numerous charitable causes receive hundreds of dozens of eggs per week.
According to Robbertse this easily amounts to about R15 000 to R20 000 in retail value worth of eggs every month.
The receivers include feeding Emma the hippo at Care for Wild Africa and donating eggs to Steval Puma rugby players.
Other beneficiaries are Child Welfare in Nelspruit and White River, Ehlanzeni Child Care in KaNyamazane, Ebeneser Child Care in Bushbuckridge, Magabotse Day Care in Acornhoek, as well as Utando House and Masoyi Home Based Care in Masoyi.
Community forums that benefit are Nelspruit Community Forum, the Voedsel Bank and Licence to Life in Nelspruit, Huis Bethlehem in White River, Authur City Community Centre in Acornhoek and Bet-Shemesh in Waterval Boven.
Old-age homes are Herfsakker and Macadamia in Nelspruit, Rustig Ouetehuis in White River and Silver Days in Waterval Boven.
