CIRCULAR ECONOMY: PRODUCTION OF PEPPERS AND SWEET PALERMO®️ PEPPERS

Generating value, creating jobs, and learning opportunities: At Taaibosch Piggery, we believe in making the most of what we have on our pig farm. We are passionate about sustainability, lessening our environmental impact, and enabling our people.

To this end and to be part of our circular economy, Taaibosch Piggery embarked on a new venture in 2021: The production of peppers and Sweet Palermo®️ peppers as an extension of the pig farm. We focus on organic production by utilizing piggery compost and effluent in a very precise manner. This adds value to our production and generates value from a by-product, which is a natural extension and diversification of our piggery.

This project had its origins in a socio-economic analysis of our employees and their communities we did in 2018 which concluded that we directly affect more than 280 people as part of employment. The idea of a self-managed community vegetable garden was born out of this study as it was one of the identifiable markers by employees to aid them in development. This evolved into a Pepper production unit and now forms part of the farm's diversification and circular economy strategy while allowing us to employ and train more people.

The first few years were a rocky start to this project, but after some changes made in March 2023 as well as partnering with Lindi Grobler, a specialist in the industry, to perfect our manure, treatment, and quality processes, the project is finally reaching its potential. For the first time, it is not only aiding in manure management and sustainability but also turning a profit.

WHY TAAIBOSCH PIGGERY CHOSE SWEET PALERMO®️

A focus of Taaibosch is intensive farming and niche, quality products. Therefore, Sweet Palermo®️ was a natural choice for our business.

Taaibosch Piggery is part of the Sweet Palermo Growers Group, an exclusive group of growers who are authorised to produce Sweet Palermo®️, which is a sweet, pointed, twisted pepper. Compared to other peppers, it has:

A thin skin;
Few seeds inside. The seeds are all in the top part of the pepper, which makes cleaning them a very simple process;
A longer shelf life;
A rich, sweet, juicy flavour. It is higher in natural sugars than regular peppers;
It can be cooked and eaten in many different ways. For recipe ideas, have a look at Sweet Palermo Recipes. Sweet Palermo®️ peppers can be eaten raw or cooked, and are sweet enough to be enjoyed as a snack. You can even add them to the braai!