Sunshine Seedling Services and TWK partnership

Sunshine Seedlings Services (SSS) has partnered with TWK Agri, one of South Africa’s leading agricultural service providers. TWK Agri acquired a significant interest in Sunshine Seedling Services, and by doing so, Sunshine Seedling Services and TWK Agri will work together to provide a greater variety of products and services.

Sunshine Seedling Services will take over the operations of the TWK Nursery based in Piet Retief, and as a result will extend its reach into the Mpumalanga, Northern KwaZulu-Natal and Eswatini areas. The Piet Retief nursery will be focused on providing quality forestry seedlings. This partnership will bring synergies to the existing operations of both parties, providing existing customers better service in the area and also providing TWK growers the opportunity to new technologies.

Sunshine Seedling Services has its roots in humble beginnings since 1982. What started as a small crop of vegetables in the valley has flourished and expanded into a nursery yielding some of the highest quality timber and vegetable seedlings in South Africa.

They boast of more than 130 years of practical and academic experience. From qualified agriculturalists to a well-established management team, Sunshine Seedling Services is a leader in the containerised seedling industry.

Sunshine Seedling Services produces over 50 million vegetable seedlings annually, as well as 10 million forestry clones, 7 million forestry seedlings and 4 million essential oil seedlings and clones.

Sunshine Seedling Services has been involved in Eucalyptus clonal forestry for more than twenty years.

The last three years have seen several changes on the clonal side.  The demand for clonal wattle has increased significantly as field trials show an increase in disease and frost tolerance with increased yield.

Sunshine Seedling Services has a selection of GXN, GXU and wattle clones, extensively tested across several sites. Clones are site-specific and should be planted on your highest potential areas to gain maximum benefit. The wattle clones are an exciting addition and are now available on a commercial scale.

They are incredibly excited to introduce a new, exclusive variety to the product range, the GMAC (E. grandis x E. macarthurii). TWK Agri exclusively developed this variety to achieve profitable growth, good stem form, favourable wood properties, frost tolerance and good rootability. Triial results reflected that GMAC has good pulping qualities that fall within the norm for chip exports. The timber can also be utilised as mining timber or sawn timber.

Sunshine Seedling Services produces a wide variety of vegetable seedlings, which are grown to order in Pietermaritzburg. These seedlings will be transported to the Piet Retief nursery where they will be supplied into the local market.

The Pietermaritzburg and Piet Retief nurseries also stock a wide variety of annual and perennial flowers. The seedlings are germinated and then planted out into six-pack punnets and four-pack punnets. The flowers are bagged according to special requirements and orders.

Other products that can be found at Sunshine Seedling Services include Blueberries, Pecans, Macadamias and Essential Oil seedlings these include varieties such as Tea Tree, Rose Geranium, Rosemary and Eucalyptus radiata.

Sunshine Seedling Services’ customers can rest assured that all operations will continue as usual. There will be no changes to the management team and staff of Sunshine Seedling Services, and that the partnership with TWK Agri will bring synergies to both parties and that they will provide better quality products and service in the future, together.

We look forward to Growing the business together in the years to come.