Founded in the 1970s by Winston Hearne and his three sons, Steven, Rodney and Desmond, Danroc (Pty) Ltd today still operates under the same values and ethics under which it was formed. Together with our passion for family and farming, we have cemented a solid foundation within the communities we serve.
The Hearne fraternity, which can be traced as far back as 1730 in England, has always had strong ties to Mother Earth – and cricket. In fact, in the 18th century, the family name was recognized throughout the country because the entire Kent cricket team was made up of Hearne family members. Cricket not only established the family’s name in England, but it is also what brought one of their kin – Frank Hearne – to South Africa.
Frank – the son of George Hearne who was born in 1829, and his two brothers were like all other Hearne’s before them – they were avid and talented cricketers. All three brothers were capped by the English national team which resulted in them touring South Africa in 1888 during which time Frank, fell in love with the country and decided to make it his home. Through the decades the Hearne roots solidified themselves in the republic with his offspring soon growing a fondness for agriculture, and it stood for.
In 1959, Winston Hearne, the great-grandson of Frank, and his family moved to a farm in Kiepersol Eastern Transvaal, as it was known in those days and the rest, as is said, is history.
Winston’s vision was for his sons to expand the family business so to provide for coming generations. His dream was kept alive by his children Rodney and Desmond, who together with their spouses and children, made it their lives’ goal to turn Winston’s vision into reality. Being built on the foundations of integrity, excellence, diligence, accountability and respect our management and employees are sharply focused and committed to their objectives and obligations which in turn has assisted us to affirm our position in the industry.
Our operations are in line with the best in the world, often surpassing global standards, and are strongly focused on responsible farming. This, together with our dedication to continually innovate, has warranted us the ability to become an industry leader.
