A John Deere Publication

Rows of green orchard trees beside a red dirt path with hills under a cloudy sky.

The Ernst family has farmed the Allesbeste farm in the hills of northeastern South Africa since 1926. They first raised vegetables and citrus. Today, their main crop is avocado.

Agriculture, Specialty/Niche January 01, 2026

Without a Map

Fourth generation farmers keep building legacy without their guide.

Story and Photos by Katie Knapp

"I consider myself the younger generation, but I am quickly moving out of that," says fourth-generation farmer Zander Ernst, 38.

Together with his brother Edrean, they manage more than 1,500 acres of subtropical land their family has farmed for nearly 100 years in the Limpopo province of northeastern South Africa.

Originally their family produced vegetables and citrus. Zander and Edrean's grandfather switched to bananas and avocados in the 1960s after greening disease forced them out of the citrus business.

Then their dad took it a big step further by researching avocado rootstocks and developing a microcloning process. This launched their nursery business, allowing them to sell both seedlings and finished fruit globally.

Today, the farm includes an avocado and coffee nursery and avocado, banana, and coffee production blocks as well as a café.

The coffee enterprise started in 2016 when Zander found a wild plant on their property and subsequently made himself what he calls "the worst cup ever."

Intrigued by the prospect of another crop with growing global demand, Zander "geeked out on coffee." By 2021, the Ernsts had planted hundreds of trees for future nursery sales and their own specialty coffee brand.

That was also when the transition from sons to leaders happened faster than expected. Their father, Dr. André Ernst, died in 2021 from COVID-19.

"After my dad passed, I went through this personal identity crisis. Even though I'd been in the business 13 years by then, our roles all changed," Zander recalls. "I asked myself all sorts of weird questions about what drives me and how to approach things."

Above. Zander Ernst diversified the farm into coffee in 2016. Following his father's avocado research and plant breeding success, he has grown coffee varieties that produce specialty-grade beans on their south-facing slopes too high and steep for other crops. Denzel Mabandla serves coffee at the on-farm cafe, Krabbefontein.

Zander now manages production and marketing while his brother leads the IT and data side of the business.

"It was only after my dad died that I realized avocados are really my passion, and I really can help the avo industry," Zander says.

He often compares avocados to apples and believes there is similar growth potential in overall quality and market options.

"The avocado business is so far behind other tree fruit and produce industries. What once was an exotic fruit that, quite frankly, was easy to make money from is now a commodity crop with lots of competition," he explains.

All the decisions the Ernsts make now are based on what the data shows them and if it fits their passion for the business. They are looking for another "paradigm shift" like their father's breeding process.

"These varieties are not our claim to fame," Zander says, pointing to avocado halves ready to be evaluated while simultaneously stepping back as if to further emphasize his point. "They are my dad's. He started them."

They are honored and driven to continue his legacy by breeding new varieties with longer harvest windows and specific tastes, textures, and appearances.

But, this challenge is not what Zander says keeps him up at night.

It is the daunting task of transitioning the farm his dad was running into a larger business.

"Everyone will tell you economy of scale is everything. Yes, but the transition is worse than anyone can imagine. No one can prepare you for that," Zander laments, wishing his dad could still answer his questions.

Their dad was growing the farm from a one-man show into a corporate environment, but he didn't finish the transition.

"The systems weren't there yet," Zander says. "And I don't want our business to get stuck between just paying the bills and that point where economy of scale kicks in."

Without having his dad to ask, he is letting passion be his guide.

"Right now, our team is smaller than our dream," Zander says with both a smile and sigh. "I believe we have so much more to contribute to avocados around the world." ‡