Having worked as a commercial lawyer all his life, Jo Neser traded the corporate world for the great outdoors in 2021 to become a full-time olive and wine farmer. Along with his wife, Tessa, he embarked on this life-long dream. Today, as one of South Africa’s finest producers of olives and olive oil and the recently released Waterleliefontein wine, their farm Waterleliefontein stands a testament to how dreams can flourish while building communities along the way.
“I had a heart attack and a bypass operation in 2010 and subsequently had to make a lifestyle change, so my wife and I looked for a rural piece of land near a river and mountain. And we found this piece of land which we bought.” But it was only when the Covid-19 pandemic struck that Jo realised that the farm could become his new home. “My wife is also a partner in my former law firm,” he says, “and we learned during the lockdown that we could practice law remotely in a large law firm. So we decided to sell our house in Cape Town and move to the farm.”
At first, the farm wasn’t viable for large-scale operation as it only had about 1600 olive trees on it. But learning how to transplant mature trees, he has grown the farm to have 4000 mature olive trees, all in production. Much of the farm’s success, Jo says, can be attributed to the relationship he has with nature. Always conscious of the farm’s impact on the environment, Jo works carefully to ensure that there’s always a harmonious balance. “We are not organic farmers,” says Jo, “but we try to farm as organically as possible, and we see that our olive trees and vines get as much natural feeding as possible.” With this approach, he can cultivate some of the region’s finest olives and wine grapes without sacrificing the land for future generations.
But Jo also points to his team on the farm as a larger driver of Waterleliefontein’s success, especially their manager, Johann Hugo, a retired wine farmer from Worcester. Since making his transition to farm life, Jo and Tessa have ensured to uplift the surrounding community by creating work opportunities and skill-building for people who need it most. “We provide permanent employment and diversify the workers’ knowledge of skills like now also being able to prune vines and operate the olive press machinery,” says Jo. “During harvest time, for a period of three months, we temporarily employ another 30 people from the community per year.” Additionally, Jo and Tessa’s experience in law has allowed them to get involved in community-based organisations, benefiting people with their knowledge. These opportunities, Jo says, have helped his team – and their families – build better lives and enjoy the collective success created on the farm. “To see our people thrive and build up their families,” says Jo, “that’s what really drives us. And we thrive on one another,” Jo explains, saying that the better one person does, the better everyone does.
Inspired by Jo’s work at Waterleliefontein, the world’s oldest workwear brand Sweet-Orr joined him on his farm to see what drives his passion and why, above all, everything he does is a labour of love. Sweet-Orr filmed Jo’s story as part of their ongoing #LoveWhatYouDo campaign. The brand documents the stories of remarkable South African creatives, makers, craftspeople, and farmers leading in their respective fields. Watch Jo’s story here, and be sure to follow the #LoveWhatYouDo campaign in the coming months to discover more incredible stories.
Olive & Wine farmer Jo Neser on building dreams and communities
