On the outskirts of Mthatha, five young visionaries have turned 3.5 hectares of land into a thriving epicentre of food security and success. The EC Poultry and Vegetables Primary Cooperative is the epitome of excellence and the relentless spirit of young people determined to make it against all odds.
What started as a fragile dream, with 850 chickens clucking in a modest structure, has stretched its wings wide. Through the ECDC’s Agri-Blended Finance Programme and support from ECRDA, over R1-million has been poured into their vision. These bright young minds have transformed their dream into a working farm equipped with a solar-powered borehole, high-capacity egg production infrastructure, and thriving vegetable plots.
The land, secured through permission from the Tribal Authority, now holds the promise of much more than produce. It bears testament to what is possible when belief and opportunity meet. The Cooperative has built a mechanical cage system designed to house 10 000 laying hens, and has started with 5 000, which are already producing eggs.
Eggs from EC Poultry are sold directly to the Department of Defence’s Mthatha base, which is actively advocating for the business to supply other branches. Their vegetables, primarily cabbages, are sought after by local hawkers and residents, keeping income circulating within the community and placing nutritious, affordable food on many tables in the neighbourhood.
With each sale, jobs are created, skills built, and futures rewritten. The founding team, all in their thirties, have embraced training in poultry production and democratic governance. Decisions are made collectively and transparently, with a vision that’s bigger than any one person. Their story is not just about farming, it’s about leadership driven by purpose.
It hasn’t been an easy road. Delays in supplier payments, arising from dual agency funding audits, tested their resolve. The absence of a delivery vehicle created logistical strain. But these young leaders don’t dwell on what’s missing. As one of them reflected, “We are not a start-up anymore. If we don’t have it, we must build it.” This is the attitude that has seen them achieve many milestones.
What their journey teaches us is that young people don’t need charity. They need an opportunity to meet them where they are. When institutions like the ECDC step in with funding, mentorship and strategic support, young entrepreneurs rise, not just for themselves, but for entire communities.
The EC Poultry and Vegetables Primary Cooperative is proof that agriculture, when led by the young and bold, becomes more than a sector, it becomes a source of dignity, innovation and nation-building.
EC Poultry’s success story serves as a reminder that the future is not something we wait for. It’s something we grow.
Also read: Eastern Cape success stories from the Imvaba Cooperative Fund
