19 Jun 2026 The story behind one of SA’s agri giants

The Van Zyl family has been farming in South Africa for nearly three centuries, with their work culminating in the sprawling giant ZZ2….

Headquartered in the tiny rural town of Mooketsi in Limpopo, ZZ2 is the largest producer of tomatoes in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Known by its iconic red, yellow, and green logo, which has been around for over 100 years, the brand and the family behind it have their roots in the Franschhoek valley, arriving there in the early 1700’s. 

Today, ZZ2 is an agricultural giant by any measure. It operates across 60,000 hectares of land spanning Limpopo, the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga. It also has operations in Namibia. 

The company remains famous for its tomatoes, but it has diversified significantly to limit the risk of crop failures due to changing climate conditions. 

ZZ2 is now one of the largest growers of avocados in the Southern Hemisphere, and it also produces significant numbers of mangoes and onions. 

The farming operation has also expanded into high-value exports, such as blueberries, cherries, dates, and almonds. 

ZZ2 employs around 10,000 people across its ecosystem, making it a significant employer in the country.

The ZZ2 logo is now an omnipresent and much-regarded brand in SA, part of almost every supermarket’s fresh produce landscape. But how did it get there? Click below to read more!