Chris spent 20 years working in corporate strategy and complex deal negotiations in the US, Europe, South America. Since then he has uncovered a hitherto hidden passion for farming as he seeks to ensure Rotondo spearheads the development of the walnut industry for South Africa. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant has a Masters of Science degree from the University of Oxford. Chris frequently beats Adam at table tennis.

Adam is a partner in Rotondo and has been walnut farming since 2014. He agreed to take ownership of all things operational as our Chief Operations Officer. After spending 17 years in the UK (too long!) in IT, and after having founded and sold a successful online retail business Adam moved back to South Africa in 2012. He graduated from UCT with a Business Science Degree. Adam was a Springbok volleyball player, which is hard to believe nowadays.

Penney has been a frustrated farmer for years creating urban farms wherever she has lived. Now that she finds herself one of the owners of Rotondo, she has dived head first into the world of walnuts and has loved every moment. She has a Masters of Science degree from London University (University College) and a Bachelors in Speech Pathology from Stellenbosch University.

Graeme is a non-executive board member. He is also a partner at an investment management company. He spent many years in London and the Cayman Islands in investment banking and advises high net worth individuals and family offices. He obtained a B. Comm (Fin Acc) from the University of Stellenbosch and is a CFA Charter holder. Graeme represented the Cayman Islands at the World Triathlon Championships; also hard to believe these days.

Lukas, our Head Agriculturist, obtained his M.Sc. Agric in Horticulture from the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein. He joined the Rotondo team in 2004, where he has been dedicated himself to becoming Africa’s premier walnut specialist. His scope of interest includes Irrigation Scheduling, Integrated Pest Management, Pruning, Fertilisation and is leading our move towards Regenerative Farming Techniques. Lukas likely loves walnut trees more than anyone in the world.

Before joining Rotondo in 2014 Ayanda had a career in the entertainment and hospitality industry. He was quickly promoted to Agriculturalist Assistant. Ayanda continued his training and is our Occupational Health and Safety Consultant. He is responsible for the handling and storage of dangerous chemicals on the farm. He is also one of our go-to guys for anything IT related.

Didier proudly manages Africa’s largest walnut orchard. As Head Orchard Manager he ensures the orchard continues to develop and produces world-class walnuts. Didier is currently pursuing his B.Comm and is a provincial level rugby player and off-road and Enduro motorcyclist.

In 2018 Archie joined Rotondo in the Orchard team. He was responsible for harvesting and maintenance. His expertise and diligence meant he was swiftly promoted to Orchard Assistant Manager. Archie’s natural leadership gift  is an invaluable asset to the farm.

Stalie began working on Rotondo in 2002. He has spent most of his career in our orchards and is skilled with all the equipment used to manage the orchards. Stalie has recently been promoted to Supervisor and can drive and operate any of the twenty different types of vehicles on the farm. Stalie is a part-time pastor and we are very privileged to have him be part of our Rotondo family.

Nduduzo obtained a MSc in Horticulture from the University of Limpopo in 2018. He joined the Rotondo team in 2019 as an Orchard Supervisor where he was introduced to Quality Control and received “in-service” training to become the Quality Control assistant. Ndu’s keen eye for detail and perfection means he doesn’t permit even the slightest defect to pass under his watch. His commitment to perfection has been invaluable to Rotondo producing walnuts fit for royalty.

Makae is a born and raised Aliwal North local. He joined Rotondo in 2002 directly after school. He has worked as part of the irrigation team and the chemical storage team where he rose to the He has been a team leader in both departments. After a decade at Rotondo he moved into the processing unit where he is a supervisor. Makae is one our most valuable prayer warriors. He commits the farm daily to God’s protection.

Ntobeko joined Rotondo in 2019. He was initially one of the forklift drivers in the Processing Unit and in August 2022 he was promoted to Shift Leader and is now one of our Processing Supervisors. He has been the recipient of multiple awards on the farm proving how hard working and diligent he is.

Andile’s tertiary qualifications in Information Technology has been helpful for his role as Stock Manager and Processing Coordinator on Rotondo. He has been part of the Processing Unit and Quality Assurance since 2021. Before joining the farm he worked as a graphic designer. Andile is not only exceeding intellectually smart but is also dress smart and he can frequently be seen wearing any number of very cool head wear.

Mmamoso Studied at University of Limpopo and obtained qualification in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Plant Production). She has worked previously in a corporate environment where she did an internship in business administration. Mmamoso joined the Rotondo team in 2021. She has quickly moved up to become  the Plant Care Manager, the perfect role for someone who loves baby plants as much as she does.

Max is the Maintenance Manager. He arrived at Rotondo in 2023 from Parys. He is a qualified Red Seal diesel mechanic and a qualified John Deere Level 2 Technician. Max finds his happy space with grease on one hand and a piece of metal in the other. Max is creative and loves to problem solve and is our first point of call when we need creative solutions to mechanical problems.

Deandre started with us early in 2022. He brought his experience in network cabling and security cameras and general understanding of farm maintenance. Deandre is a fast learner and has gleaned significant knowledge of our processing and packaging lines, the management of our fleet of farming equipment as well as the irrigation systems in our orchards.

We are fortunate to have Dean Hobson as an ‘honouree’ member of Rotondo. He has bought a very successful sheep program to our Orchards as we move towards Regenerative Farming. Dean comes from deep farming stock and his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm on the farm is contagious.

Pearly has many years of experience in Sales and Administration. She started her career as photo-processor in 1994. She moved into retail in 2005 and was steadily promoted. She was a manager at a busy hardware before she joined Rotondo as Office Manager in July 2022. Pearly is our Chief Happines Officer and never fails to bring a warm smile to everyone she meets.

Thekla joined Rotondo in 2021 with many years of accounting experience in hand. Her diligence, honesty and tenacity are perfect in her role overseeing all things money. She completed a Higher certificate in Accounting Science in 2014 and graduated from Unisa with a BCOMPT in Financial Accounting in 2022.

Lynn joined the Rotondo team in 2021 bringing international experience in business administration and human resources. She has worked in new business start-ups and ongoing project management. Lynn’s analytical and problem-solving skills combined with her love for people allows her to effectively manage our HR and Shared Services roles at Rotondo.