About Lucentlands Podcast | Harvesting Agriculture Knowledge
Welcome to the Lucentlands Podcast, your go-to source for all things related to agriculture. Our Agriculture podcast is dedicated to bringing you the latest news, trends, and insights on the agriculture industry from around the world.
Hosted by Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie, two passionate professionals with years of experience in the media production industry, the Lucentlands Agriculture Podcast is the perfect platform for anyone interested in learning about the latest developments in agriculture.
How FPEF Is Building the Next Generation of Fresh Produce Leaders | Ep. 166
How do you transform an industry in a way that creates lasting change?
In Episode 166 of the Lucentlands Podcast, hosts Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Johannes Brand, Transformation Manager at the Fresh Produce Exporters Forum (FPEF) and Agribusiness Consultant, about developing people, creating career pathways and building capacity across South Africa’s fresh-produce export sector.
Johannes has spent around 20 years working in fresh-produce exports and later moved into agribusiness consulting and transformation initiatives. A major focus of his work with FPEF is the organisation’s Graduate Placement Programme, launched in 2016 to place graduates into long-term careers rather than simply provide short-term industry exposure.
More than 115 young professionals have been placed through the programme, working across logistics, commercial fruit trading, post-harvest quality management and data-related roles. Around two-thirds of participants have subsequently received full-time appointments.
The conversation also explores the FPEF Young Professionals Network and the Harvest to Home programme, which provides training across the fruit value chain – from research and farming through packing, post-harvest management, logistics, compliance and international fruit marketing. More than 1,500 people have been trained through the programme.
Johannes also discusses:
• Why practical industry experience is critical to meaningful transformation
• The complexity and risk involved in fresh-produce exporting
• Why misunderstandings can develop between growers and exporters
• Helping growers understand export markets, costs, risks and commission structures
• Why export marketing agents remain an important route to market for many growers
• FPEF’s Post Harvest Innovation programme and postgraduate research support
• Agribusiness consulting, business valuations, due diligence and feasibility studies
• Transformation initiatives within the South African macadamia industry
• Why agricultural businesses cannot afford to settle for average performance
For Johannes, transformation is not about a quick solution. It is about developing people over time, allowing them to build knowledge, networks and experience until they can take increasingly influential roles within the industry.
His message to the next generation of farmers is equally clear: sustainable agricultural businesses must continually optimise, improve and maximise both productivity and quality.
Connect with us:Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/lucentlandspodcastSupport this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1This podcast is proudly sponsored by Agrarius. Find out more: https://www.agrarius.co.za/?ref=recR9vP8u5CYfEOek&utm_source=lucentlands&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=LucentLandsPromoVisit our agricultural stock site: https://lucentlands.smugmug.com/
19 Oct 2026
How South Africa Moves Fresh Produce to the World | Ep. 165
What happens to fresh produce after it leaves the packhouse — and what does it take to get that fruit to markets around the world in the right condition?
In Episode 165 of the Lucentlands Podcast, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak with Andy Connell, fresh produce logistics specialist and consultant, whose career in the sector stretches back to the early days of South Africa’s deregulated fruit export industry.
Andy takes us inside a part of the fresh produce value chain that is often largely invisible to those outside logistics.
Drawing on decades of experience with companies including Westminster Produce, Dole and shipping operations, he recounts the shift towards 12-metre refrigerated containers, the development of a more integrated cold chain and the enormous changes that containerisation brought to fresh produce exports.
The conversation also explores how South Africa’s export system has become increasingly digital. Andy explains the importance of PPECB systems, electronic documentation and traceability — and why South Africa has developed capabilities that he believes place it ahead of many competing fresh produce exporting countries.
The discussion also tackles some of the industry's most pressing challenges:
• Why logistics begins long before fruit reaches the port
• The evolution of reefer containers and cold-chain management
• Digitalisation, traceability and export documentation
• The role of PPECB in South Africa’s fresh produce export system
• The operational challenges facing Cape Town’s port
• What happened to rail as a viable fresh produce transport option
• The importance of transferring logistics knowledge to the next generation
• Why young people should be exposed to logistics as a career
• How AI is already being used in post-harvest decision-making
• Using data to reduce waste and protect fruit quality in destination markets
Andy also shares a message that has shaped much of his work as a trainer and mentor: you never stop learning — and there is no such thing as a stupid question.
This is a wide-ranging conversation about the systems, people and decisions behind getting South African fresh produce from the orchard to customers around the world.Connect with us:
Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/
Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/lucentlandspodcast
Support this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1This podcast is proudly sponsored by Agrarius. Find out more: https://www.agrarius.co.za/?ref=recR9vP8u5CYfEOek&utm_source=lucentlands&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=LucentLandsPromo
Visit our agricultural stock site: https://lucentlands.smugmug.com/
12 Oct 2026
From Post-Harvest Science to Risk Management | Ep. 164
What does it take to protect fruit quality from the orchard all the way to the market — and how has agricultural research had to evolve to meet the changing needs of growers, exporters and the wider fresh produce industry?
In Episode 164 of the Lucentlands Podcast, Dewald Kirsten and Louise Brodie speak to Dr Martin Taylor, Research Fellow at ExperiCo, and Dr Ian Crouch, Managing Director of ExperiCo.
The conversation traces the history of ExperiCo from its roots in the research structures of South Africa’s deciduous fruit industry, through deregulation, Unifruco and Capespan, to the independent agricultural research business it has become today.
Martin and Ian explain how a team originally focused heavily on post-harvest research and cold-chain management has expanded into a much broader range of agricultural R&D. Today, ExperiCo works across fruit and other crops in areas including post-harvest quality, product and registration trials, molecular diagnostics, plant pathology, entomology, soil science, physiology and risk management.
They also discuss the importance of independent scientific testing. New products and technologies may arrive with impressive claims, but ExperiCo’s role is to provide an answer backed by sound scientific method — even when that answer is not necessarily the one a client hoped to hear.
Other topics include the development of technologies and programmes that have influenced the South African fruit industry, the role of 1-MCP in extending fruit storage life, innovation in packaging and cooling, identifying pathogens at molecular level, the transfer of institutional knowledge, and the challenge of developing the next generation of agricultural scientists.
It is also a conversation about adaptation. ExperiCo has survived major changes in the structure of South African agriculture by continually expanding its capabilities while retaining its focus on scientific integrity, confidentiality and practical problem-solving.
Connect with us:
Website: https://lucentlands.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucentlandsmedia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucentlandsmedia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucentlandsmedia/
Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/lucentlandspodcast
Support this podcast by buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/lucentlands?new=1
Who has been a guest on Lucentlands Podcast | Harvesting Agriculture Knowledge
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Marco Bertolazzi
Faith Brown
Jon Roberts
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