Marolien: A vegetarian’s paradise
Although Marolien started small, the business is growing day by day.
Ever wondered where rockets are built, where marrows get their babies or where Basil and Rosemary live happily ever after?
Well, one of these places is Marolien where they supply quality fresh herbs, baby leaf and other baby vegetables to local markets while maintaining high service levels internationally. Although they supply countries such as Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and England with their produce, they still remember their roots.
“My husband and I started our agricultural ideals early in 1993 with zucchini and tomatoes. At first it was only a hobby on a small scale,” said Marthie van Reenen, logistical director of Marolien. The following year they planted more or less three hectares of open-field tomatoes. The vast growth of the project inspired the owners to establish a close corporation in 1995.
“We have always striven to producing excellent quality for the local market, but we soon realised that our quality was of an export standard,” she said.
In the following four years they put up an additional two hectares of net houses and plastic tunnels, and produced tomatoes, green, red and yellow peppers as well as other vegetables. The Marolien owners soon discovered the exclusive mark for herbs and baby vegetables and decided to venture into the export market with a new commodity – fresh herbs. They have grown exponentially year on year. Recently they extended their scope with baby beetroot, baby turnips and baby carrots.
Currently their product list includes basil, Thai basil, sage, mint, curly parsley, Italian parsley, coriander, rosemary, thyme, dill, rocket, wild rocket, oregano, chives, garlic chives, wild rocket, French tarragon, baby spinach, baby carrots and more. Although they only start exporting at the end of October, they currently export up to two ton herbs and vegetables per week.
Marolien’s cultivation methods are 90 per cent biological and organic, as Woolworths is one of their biggest clients.
“Timing is crucial, we harvest our tunnels according to the orders. We always get the herbs into the cold room as soon as possible to prevent any wilting as it will be distributed the following day,” Marthie said.
Basil, for example, is extremely vulnerable and should be handled with care by trained workers. “Basil is definitely the most labour-intensive in comparison with the other herbs that we harvest here,” she said. “Vegetables, however, are very easy and do not need as much attention.”
As most vegetable fundis would have it, the perfect time for anything to grow is summer. However, Marthie warned, there is a thing such as ‘too warm’.
“When the weather is extremely hot and dry, it’s a whole new ball game. Every plant requires even more water and attention,” she said.
Marthie encourages the community to plant vegetable as it is extremely easy and affordable.
“A small packet of seeds at any supermarket is super cheap and easy to grow. Just water it every day and make sure it stays cool,” Marthie concluded.
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