Zine Madikwa once considered pursuing a career that would take her across the world as a flight attendant.
Today, she is firmly rooted in the rural hills of Port St Johns — and building a growing business from the land she once overlooked.
The 33-year-old entrepreneur now produces her own range of juices under the brand Eastdene Farms Fruit Juices, using fruit grown on her family’s Gunuza Farms.
What began as an unexpected return home has evolved into a passion-driven venture supplying nutritious drinks to her community.
“My mother managed to buy a farm but despite growing up there, I never really had much passion for doing work usually done there,” Madikwa said.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I even imagine myself as a farmer or running a farm.
“But I did help my mother with the production of mangoes on the farm.”
After finishing school, Madikwa enrolled at the Esayidi TVET College on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast to study travel and tourism management, with the goal of becoming an air hostess.
“My dream was to be a flight attendant and not just domestically in SA.
“I pictured myself travelling to international countries on those big planes,” she said.
But she left her studies with a year remaining and later enrolled at the University of SA to study teaching, a decision she quickly realised was not for her.
“I am not a very patient person and I could not imagine myself having the passion to work with children,” she said.
Madikwa also spent time working for an international cellular company, but persistent load-shedding disruptions eventually led her to leave the job.
A turning point came when her mother fell ill, prompting her to return home to the family farm.
What started as a family responsibility soon became something more.
She began growing vegetables and fruit while caring for her mother — and, over time, found herself drawn to farm life.
Madikwa’s breakthrough came in 2024, when she experimented with turning mangoes into juice.
“I have always loved cooking and experimenting with food but when I asked my friend to try that mango juice in 2024, she actually told me it tasted brilliant and suggested I could make a lot of money from it,” Madikwa said.
“I love money and so immediately everything just clicked in my head.
“Now I am passionate about working on a farm and producing the juices, which are very high in demand in the community.”
Today, her range includes juices made from mangoes, guavas, naartjies, oranges and avocados, as well as blends that combine fruit and vegetables.
She also experiments with natural infusions such as lemon balm, which she says can benefit skin health and improve sleep patterns.
When production falls short, she sources additional produce from neighbouring farms, helping to support other growers in the area.
Farm work is not just what I do, it is embedded in my genes
Madikwa uses both modern equipment and traditional methods in her process, including cold pressing — a technique that extracts juice without heat, helping to preserve nutrients, enzymes and flavour.
As her business grows, she plans to take further steps to ensure quality and safety, including conducting biological and nutritional testing on her products.
Looking ahead, she hopes to expand beyond small-scale production.
Her long-term vision includes establishing a larger orchard and building a processing facility to grow the brand into a commercial operation.
“Farm work is not just what I do, it is embedded in my genes.
“It’s what I grew up seeing and now I am also putting into practice,” she said.
“I have also been passionate about business since I was growing up.”
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.