About us
Grandmother Lulie Kruger bought the Henley Farm, along the Letaba River in the Lowfield, in 1955 and moved to the Henley Farm in March 1955 from Reitz in the Free State.
Her son Boet Kruger and her daughter Elsabe and son-in-law Wouter van Zyl moved with her to the Lowfield.
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The Henley Farm was divided into 3 parts of which Boet tilled the farm next door. Wouter and Elsabe worked the land at the middle farm and changed the name to DEONE. Grandmother Lulie farmed with Afrikaner cattle on the original part of the Henley Farm.
In those years the land had rough vegetations and trees and lots of wild animals and lions inhabited the property. They deforested the land bit by bit; that took a very long time because the trees had to be cut down by hand and also the roots had to be dugged out manually. There was no equipment available.
Wouter and Elsabe van Zyl first farmed with vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes and pumpkins. 35 years ago they gradually switched to citrus. Today several types of citrus are cultivated.
Wouter and Elsabe have one daughter, Deona, who farms on the farm with her husband Alexander Kidson.
The Kidsons have 4 children; Wouter, Elsabe, Xandri and Deona. Wouter kidson and his family and Xandri and her husband Tiaan Deysel are currently the 4th generation farming here with Alex and Deona.
Deona fruit production in 2 min
Elsabè Kidson-Engelbrecht.
Xandri Deysel-Kidson.
Wouter Kidson, Alex Kidson (Patriarch) and Tiaan Deysel.
Wouter Kidson, Deona Kidson (Matriarch and namesake of the Deona brand) and Alex Kidson.
Responsible employer
Our responsibility of as an employer goes beyond merely paying our employees a salary. They are part of our team. We strive to improve hygiene and farm safety for our workers.
Planting plan for fruit
Growth, flowering habits, and light requirements on the one hand, and management problems on the other, determine the most satisfactory planting plan for fruit. There is a trend toward use of dwarfing stocks, growth control chemicals, or closer planting and training, or all of them to get the highest yields and the best operation efficiency possible on a unit of ground.
The entrance of the W.J. van Zijl estate.
For irrigations we also use the water from the Letaba River.
A large climate controlled warehouse.
We’re here to help you
Set up an appointment with us today and see how we can create a custom supply plan for you.