Wostevia was born out of the sugarcane farming heritage of South Africa.
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Our Story
South African farmers have been sweetening life with sugar since Henry Moorewood planted the first sugarcane in 1848.
Since then South Africa has been a low cost producer of high quality sugar that is consumed both locally and exported across the globe.
By growers, for growers, Wostevia is doing the same for Stevia. Launched with the backing vision of South African sugarcane farmers, Wostevia's objective is to be world-class producer of cost-competitive stevia and stevia formulations of the highest quality on the planet.
Prioritising the needs of our stakeholders, growers, employees, community and environment is crucial to our success story.
Meet Our Team
Executive
RICHARD HOWES
GET TO KNOW OUR CEO
Richard has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and Economics, and a history of founding entrepreneurial startups. From consulting around the world in the 90's, Richard gained experience in multiple industries including banking, pharmaceuticals, and insurance. Richard co-founded ResRequest in 2000, a software company with clients in 18 countries. Richard's involvement in the sugarcane industry and passion for finding new ways to contribute to agricultural sustainability are two of the cornerstones on which Wostevia was built.
CRAIG SWAN
GET TO KNOW OUR CFO
Craig is a registered Chartered Accountant. Craig's modus operandi is to have a small number of clients and to get intimately involved with each client to maximise the value addition. Wostevia is one of Craig's outsourced clients, and in addition to high-level management, Craig's company provides accounting services to Wostevia.
Agriculture & Engineering
BLAKE CHUBB
GET TO KNOW OUR AGRICULTURE MANAGER
Blake graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. Blake has experience in sales, marketing and agriculture. Being on Wostevia's board of directors and the farm manager and head marketer for Fairmay Farms (Pty) Ltd provides Blake with a unique set of skills and expertise. Blake has been part of our journey since Wostevia's initial trials in 2020. His continuous involvement in Wostevia and training with stevia expert, Shantanu Chakraborty, has increased his passion for the project. Wostevia looks forward to continuing the stevia journey with Blake as our Agriculture Manager.
KIARA RANJITH
GET TO KNOW OUR CHEMICAL ENGINEER
Kiara is a proud UKZN Alumni with her Honors Degree in Chemistry and her focus being organic extractions. Having worked previously in an analytical laboratory, she has a keen eye for detail and food safety compliance. Her days of working in senior roles as well as extensively with factory plant operators grew her passion into an aspiring Chemical Engineer. Wostevia is excited to welcome Kiara as the female lead in both the factory and laboratory units, as she continues to grow and share her creativity and enthusiasm.
Consulting & Marketing
SHANTANU CHAKRABORTY
GET TO KNOW OUR STEVIA CONSULTANT
Shantanu has a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, a Master's Degree in Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, and more than 20 years of experience in the farming, processing, extraction, and formulation of stevia. Having worked on multiple continents and in multiple countries, Shantanu is one of the world's foremost experts in all aspects of stevia production, as well as industrial and retail formulation and uses. Shantanu has used that extensive knowledge and experience to assist multiple stevia startup ventures to get off the ground and has been instrumental in the launch of stevia farming and processing in South Africa.
LELANIE CARRICK-OLIVIER
GET TO KNOW OUR MARKETING AGENCY
Lelanie graduated with a BA Degree in Visual Communication Design and has been running her own business, LC Design, for over 5 years. Her passion is assisting businesses, in a variety of industries, to tell their story visually. Lelanie is our graphic designer and social media guru. Her main focus is presenting and promoting the Wostevia brand and vision with a unique, creative, and insightful perspective.
Our Community
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