Crookes Brothers

What Crookes Brothers does

Crookes Brothers Limited (JSE: CKS) is a publicly listed Southern African agricultural company founded in 1861 and headquartered in Umhlanga Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal. It produces primary subtropical crops across four countries, operating sugar cane units in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, eSwatini, and Zambia; banana operations in Mpumalanga, Mozambique, and eSwatini; and macadamia production near Gurue in Mozambique. The company employs 2,456 full-time staff and sells into commodity markets through processors, wholesale channels, and export buyers, with no public pricing models disclosed.

Beyond core agriculture, Crookes Brothers runs Renprop, a property development business leveraging marginal farmland at Renishaw for a multi-billion-rand, five-zone coastal precinct with 231 residential units built to date, and Crocworld Conservation Centre, a tourism and conservation facility on the Mid South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal that has hosted over 1.5 million visitors since 1985. Revenue diversification is pursued through geographic spread (South Africa, eSwatini, Zambia, Mozambique) and a stated cap of 30% capital allocation to any single commodity.

Recent financial signals indicate stress: a negative basic EPS of ZAR -18.694 and an expected headline loss of 167.2 cents per share for the year ended 31 March 2026, against a market capitalization of ZAR 305.794 million and a 7.39% forward dividend yield. The company holds a BBBEE Level 1 certification (2025-2026) and a 2025 Silverstreet ESG Award, and has no disclosed AI, software, or digital product capabilities.

Name

Crookes Brothers

Legal name

Crookes Brothers Limited

Website

https://cbl.co.za

Company type

Public

Founded year

1861

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Crookes Brothers Limited is a JSE-listed Southern African agricultural company producing sugar cane, bananas, and macadamias across South Africa, eSwatini, Zambia, and Mozambique, with adjacent property development and tourism operations. It serves commodity processors, wholesale buyers, property purchasers, and conservation tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tropical Agricultural Production

NAICS

Sugarcane Farming (11193), Sugarcane Farming (111930), Cane Sugar Manufacturing (311314)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Sugarcane Farming (AFAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Sugar cane farming
• Banana production
• Macadamia cultivation
• Agricultural commodities
• Property development

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sugar Cane Production: Primary agricultural production of sugar cane through multiple units in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, with farms in eSwatini and Zambia. Sugar cane sold to processors and export markets.
2. Banana Production: Banana cultivation in Mpumalanga, Mozambique, and eSwatini. Production sold through fresh produce markets and direct channels.
3. Macadamia Nuts: Macadamia operations near Gurue in Zambezia Province, Mozambique. High-value nut production for domestic and export markets.
4. Property Development (Renprop): Property development business utilizing marginal farmland on Renishaw farm. Multi-phase Renishaw Coastal Precinct project including commercial, residential, and light industrial sites.
5. Tourism (Crocworld): Tourism, education, and conservation operations at Crocworld Conservation Centre on the Mid South Coast of KZN.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Crookes Brothers Limited is a Southern African agricultural company that produces primary subtropical commodities — sugar cane, bananas, and macadamias — across farms in South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga), eSwatini, Zambia, and Mozambique. Beyond farming, the group operates RenProp, a property development business converting marginal farmland at Renishaw into commercial, industrial, and residential real estate, and Crocworld Conservation Centre, a tourism and conservation facility on the KZN South Coast.

Product overview

Crookes Brothers Limited operates as a diversified agricultural company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, producing primary agricultural products. The portfolio comprises five main offerings: Sugar Cane, Bananas, and Macadamia Nuts as core agricultural products; Renprop (property development) which leverages marginal farmland for mixed-use development projects; and Crocworld Conservation Centre which provides tourism and conservation services. Geographic diversification spans South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces), eSwatini, Zambia, and Mozambique.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RenProp: Property development business established to use marginal farmland on CBL's Renishaw farm for industrial, commercial and residential property development.
• Crocworld Conservation Centre
• Renishaw Coastal Precinct
• Renishaw Hills

Products and services

• Sugar Cane

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tongaat Hulett: Historic JSE-listed sugar producer with operations across South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Directly comparable sugar cane farming footprint and Southern African value chain presence, though currently in business rescue.
• Illovo Sugar Africa: Africa's largest sugar producer, owned by Associated British Foods, with cane growing operations in South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Eswatini, and Tanzania. Direct comparator for sugar cane farming economics in Crookes Brothers' geographies.
• Gledhow Sugar: South African sugar producer and miller operating in KwaZulu-Natal. Closely comparable given shared KZN geography and sugar cane focus, making it a like-for-like operational benchmark.
• UCL Company (Union Cooperative Limited): South African sugar milling and cane processing cooperative with farmer-supplier structure. Comparable as a KZN-based sugar value-chain participant serving overlapping customers (cane growers, processors).
• Du Roi (banana tissue culture): South African banana tissue culture nursery and producer supplying the Southern African banana industry. Direct comparator for Crookes Brothers' banana operations in Mpumalanga, eSwatini, and Mozambique.
• Marquis Macadamias: Largest South African macadamia processor, sourcing from growers across Southern Africa. Directly comparable to Crookes Brothers' Murrimo Macadamias operation in Mozambique and the broader macadamia export value chain.
• Green Farms Nut Company: South African macadamia processor and marketer with grower-supplier model. Comparable as a buyer/processor counterpart to Crookes Brothers' macadamia production for domestic and export markets.

Regional players

• ZZ2: Large privately held South African agribusiness producing tomatoes, avocados, onions, and other crops across multiple provinces. Comparable as a diversified multi-crop, multi-region Southern African farming operation with similar scale and listed-peer investment thesis.

Broad incumbents

• Astral Foods: JSE-listed diversified agribusiness focused on poultry, feed, and broiler genetics. Comparable as a JSE-listed Southern African food producer with similar investor base, though operating in a different sub-sector of agriculture.
• Senwes: South African agricultural services and inputs company with grain handling, storage, and financing. Comparable as a JSE-listed agribusiness serving the same farmer customer base and exposed to similar South African agricultural cycles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crookes Brothers