The farm has been in the von Buddenbrock family since 1951 when Ray von Buddenbrock was given the farm by her father as a wedding present. Her son, Ean, is the present owner and has been on the farm since 1989.
The farm was originally laid out by Captain Dean in the 1920’s and he named the farm after his daughter, Rhoda. Captain Dean was a founder member of Ceres Fruit Growers packhouse and fruit was exported from the farm under the “Heron Brand” in those days. He was also a keen golfer, being the founder member & captain of the Ceres Golf Club.
The size of Rhodene is 167 hectares of which some 42 hectares are planted to fruit. It is a deciduous fruit farm consisting mainly of various varieties of pears, as well as apples. The fruit picking season stretches from January to the beginning of April.
In 2010 we acquired the next door farm called Voëlvlei and renovated seven cottages there.
Ean is married to Glenda and they have a daughter, Chantelle, and a son, Karl. Chantelle studied Jewellery Design and Manufacture at Stellenbosch University. She is married to Jean Saayman and they live in Luxembourg with their 2 daughters.
Karl qualified as a Veterinarian in 2014 at the University of Pretoria (Onderstepoort) and returned to the farm in 2021, with his wife, Laura, after working in Nelspruit as a veterinarian. Karl is learning to farm alongside Ean with the goal of eventually taking over the reins.
Ean & Glenda have three dogs: Rex is a cross between a Great Dane and a Boerbul and was born in January 2018. He is very energetic and loves to run and play. Rusty, a Jack Russel, was only born in January 2019. He is thoroughly spoilt and is great friends with Rex. Rufus, a rescue dog, became the newest addition to the family in 2022, when Chantelle and her family relocated abroad.
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Tel: +27 (0) 23 313 3607
Cell: +27 (0) 72 872 1333
Email: cottages@rhodene.co.za
Cascade Road
Prince Alfred’s Hamlet
6840
