about us
Who We Are
African Seeds Group (ASG) was established in 2018 when holding company Zaad Holdings Limited – which invests in the specialised agri-inputs industry where they currently own, develop, import and distribute a broad range of agronomy, forage and vegetable seeds into mainly Africa, Europe and other emerging international markets – realised the importance of having a company that can specifically focus on the emerging farmer market in South Africa. This segment of the market, which is often overlooked by traditional seed and agri-input providers, has grown significantly in recent years.
Today, three years later, African Seeds Group has established itself as a standalone brand and business with a successful track record of servicing emerging farmers as well as the commercial and institutional agricultural sectors.
African Seeds Group sources high-quality products from a wide network of partners and distributes to customers and end-users from their packing facility in Johannesburg. Their wide-ranging customer base includes public and private entities, wholesale customers and NGOs.
In 2021, the Sakhumnotho Group, a pan-African investment holding firm, acquired a majority stake in African Seeds Group. Through this partnership African Seeds Group is now a Level 2 B-BBEE contributor. The investment by Sakhumnotho, combined with our continued affiliation with the Zaad group, will help us to expand our foothold in the African agricultural space.
our team
Mihan Louw | Managing Director
Raised on a wheat and grape farm in the Swartland, Mihan spent more than 10 years working in various roles in corporate supply chain management before joining ASG’s holding company Zaad in 2017 as Group Supply Chain Manager. Mihan has been leading ASG as MD since its inception, ensuring that we remain true to our mission of growing communities through agriculture. Mihan holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Stellenbosch and completed his MBA in 2012.
Ilse Allen | Warehouse Coordinator
Ilse grew up in Limpopo Province and has been involved in the agricultural industry since 1998. Her roles included managing a processing plant and implementing quality control and management systems in the macadamia and citrus industries. Ilse joined ASG on 1 November 2020 as Warehouse Coordinator. Her main duty is to oversee and manage the warehousing and packing of vegetable seeds. She and her team are committed to delivering an outstanding service to customers.
Batande Ngamlana | Business Development - KZN & Eastern Cape
Batande obtained a Bachelor of Social Science degree & a postgraduate Diploma in Management from UCT before embarking on a corporate career in human resources management, organizational development and management consulting.
Over the last decade Batande has turned his focus to the agricultural sector where – particularly in his home province of the Eastern Cape – he has successfully developed and launched many agricultural projects.
As part of the ASG team, his wealth of experience and knowledge of the local agricultural landscape will help us to better service our rural customers in KZN and the Eastern Cape.
Mr Ngamlana is an active member of the Royal House of Majali in the Manzamhlophe Traditional Council in Nyandeni Kingdom in the Western Mpondoland region.
Stefan Jansen | Logistics, Planning and Wholesale Trade Manager
Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Stefan grew up and lived in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for 10 years where he completed high school, before moving back to South Africa and the Western Cape. As the Project & Logistics Manager Stefan is involved with many facets of ASG, with a focus on stock management and quality control ensuring we deliver the highest quality agricultural inputs to emerging farmers. Stefan obtained his BSc degree from University of Stellenbosch in 2012.
AKHONA NKANZELA | AGRONOMIST & KZN EXTENSION OFFICER
Raised in rural areas of the Eastern Cape (Flagstaff), Akhona’s passion for farming started at a very young age – taking inspiration from her mother who has been producing vegetables in her small garden to put food on the table for her family. Akhona holds a degree in Agriculture (crop and horticulture) from the University of Fort Hare and has experience in citrus production, orchard management and office administration. Her role at ASG is to provide technical support & extension services to ASG clients – focusing mainly on assisting smallholder farmers to move from levels of low production to commercialisation.