Forge Agri and FarmSave in Bergville Serving All In The Community
Not only is this spectacular setting popular with tourists, but it’s also the commercial centre for a 2,500 km2 dairy and cattle ranching area.
Forge Agri Bergville consists of a retail store with an agri-shed and building yard that serves agricultural communities and residents of the town and its surrounding areas. It is one of six stores in Southern and Northern KwaZulu-Natal and the Midlands that primarily focus on dairy, beef, and sheep farming, as well as the building trade. Bergville also has a FarmSave store and both Forge Agri and FarmSave are part of the Agrimark farmily and KAL Group. FarmSave is a no-frills, value-for-money store that supports small-scale farmers. The role that the store plays in the everyday lives of their customers is summarised by Allan Green, a beef, dairy, maize and soya farmer and a loyal Forge Agri customer: “I shop here because the location is convenient, the store is clean, and one always receives good service. I have known Anna (Kritzinger) for 30 years and I can see that she and her team are doing an excellent job.”
Mbomgiseni Ndaba, who farms with soya, maize, sheep, and cattle in the area, echoes these sentiments and agrees that the store is convenient, that some items are cheaper, that they offer regular specials, and that staff members often provide him with advice for his farming challenges.
“We serve all these different producers and have been doing so for many years,” Anna explains with a look of pride in Forge Agri Bergville’s immaculately kept store."
Forge Agri Bergville is a sleek operation run by an experienced manager leading a team of people dedicated to the communities they serve. This, in short, describes the operations at Forge Agri Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal where Anna Kritzinger leads her team.
Bergville, a town formed in 1897, has been home to a variety of agricultural activities since its inception, but today it is a commercial and agricultural centre for cattle and sheep farmers and a variety of grain producers who annually harvest soybeans, maize, and wheat crops. A number of dairies also operate in the area.
“We serve all these different producers and have been doing so for many years,” Anna explains with a look of pride in Forge Agri Bergville’s immaculately kept store.
Anna has a passion for the Bergville operation and, being a farmer’s daughter, she understands the pressures and needs of the area’s various producers.
“We are a specialised store serving our community which includes customers from agricultural areas and residents of the town and surrounding areas. As such, we provide an important service and form an integral part of the community.”
“This branch started off as a FarmSave store, but Forge Agri obtained a majority share in it in 2021. We renamed it to Forge Agri as the Forge brand is well-known in the area and producers and inhabitants of Bergville associate the name with the products and services we have been supplying over the years. Simphiwe Khumalo is the manager at the smaller FarmSave store and he has great interactions with the customers,” she said.
Simphiwe has been with the company for the past two years. The FarmSave store is near the town’s taxi rank and it runs independently from the Forge Agri store.
At Forge Agri, new-generation farmers are highly valued customers and Anna and her team go the extra mile to support them. A Farmer’s Day has been organised in cooperation with the local Department of Agriculture to provide a platform for knowledge and information sharing about production methods, seeds, fertiliser, and maize. Another topic to be discussed with the 250 attendees who have indicated that they will attend the day, is best practices in farming.
The store has a variety of departments with rows of neatly organised products that are high in demand. There is a major focus on animal products, including feed for chickens, pigs, sheep and cattle, as well as the accompanying medicines and booster products. Anna emphasises the fact that they keep abreast of developments in the field and ensure that they have the products needed by producers. “And if we don’t have a certain item required by a producer, we will go all out to find it for them. And if we find a better deal, we pass the saving on to them and the customer benefits. We also update them telephonically about the order’s progress and we can even deliver the goods with one of our three trucks,” she explains.
“We try to expand or adapt our product range based on customer requests and needs. For example, we have short-term plans to extend our range of household products which should be available in the store within the next three months.”
She emphasises that they want to keep extending their product range to be of even greater service to the community and expand their customer base. The footprint of the branch extends as far as Winterton, some 20 km away, and Ladysmith, 57 km from Bergville.
“We upgraded our nursery recently which has proved to be a remarkable success. New-generation farmers visit the nursery to buy seedlings. We buy it in bulk trays, but customers can buy according to their needs – even one plant at a time. We supply seedlings of tomatoes, cauliflower, and spinach – which is extremely popular.”
The garden products section is extremely popular with a range of insecticides, weedkillers, and a variety of garden utensils and equipment for gardening enthusiasts. The clothing range in the store focuses on practical workwear. Jonsson’s range of overalls, work shoes, gumboots, and safety boots are very popular.
“Many of our customers at the FarmSave store buy feed for their animals – sheep, cattle, chickens, and pigs – and since it is so close to the taxi rank, it makes it easier for them to transport their purchases. It is also very convenient for elderly customers as they do not have to walk far with their purchases,” Simphiwe explains.
Babu Premlall, the longest-serving employee at Forge Agri, puts it this way: “We try our best to keep ourselves up on our levels and we have most of the farmers from the surrounding areas on our side due to the service and skills we offer. We will keep on doing what sets us apart from our competitors.”
Forge Bergville | 6 Kingsway Road, 3350 | Tel: 036 448 2853
FarmSave Bergville | Shop No 4, Tatham Road, 3350 | Tel: 036 448 1101
