Month 1

Water use authorisation applied for before any land commitment; CIPC and SARS registration

Months 1–4

Borehole pump test and hydrogeologist’s report covering dry-season yield

Months 2–6

Land lease signed; soil analysis; Blended Finance application lodged a full year ahead

Months 4–8

Borehole, pump, storage dam lining and mainline installed

Months 6–10

Drip irrigation across 8 hectares; two multi-span tunnels erected

Months 8–11

Packhouse, cold room, fencing and farm security built

Months 10–12

First plantings staggered into the May to August winter window; traceability records begun

End Year 1

Gate 1: water authorisation held, borehole yield proven in the dry season, yields within 15% of plan

Year 2

Second tunnel; direct customers begun; farm manager appointed; 14.5 hectares

End Year 2

Gate 2: direct channel above 20% of volume, EBITDA loss narrowing, reviewed financial statements

Year 3

Second Blended Finance tranche drawn; 24 hectares; GLOBALG.A.P. process begun; break-even crossed

End Year 3

Gate 3: water confirmed for 35 hectares, EBITDA positive, certification underway

Year 4

Certification achieved; retail or processor contract signed; agronomist appointed; 34.5 hectares

End Year 4

Gate 4: certification achieved, contract signed, agronomist in place

Year 5

Expansion to 45 hectares; packhouse automation and cold chain; market channel below 60%

Water use authorisation

Everything; the farm cannot lawfully irrigate without it

Applied for before the lease is signed, not after. It is the first item on the timeline for a reason

Dry-season borehole yield

The area that can be planted in Year 1 and every year after

Pump test and hydrogeologist’s report in the dry season; a March test proves nothing

Blended Finance application

R1.40m in Year 1 and R2.10m in Year 3

Lodged a full year ahead through more than one participating institution

Infrastructure before planting

The first crop and its yield

Water, drip and tunnels complete by month 10; crops planted into finished infrastructure

Traceability from first planting

GLOBALG.A.P. certification in Year 4

An audit examines history; history cannot be created retrospectively

Reviewed financial statements

Gate 2 and every later funding application

Bookkeeping from month one; a Year 2 application without them is incomplete

Direct channel above 20% by Year 2

Gate 2 and the whole channel-shift thesis

Hawker suppliers and small wholesalers first; they need no certification

Certification before contracts

Gate 4 and the retail channel

Process begun Year 3 so conversations in Year 4 start with documentation, not a promise