The ROGZ Urban Farm Story

Rogz pet gear was born in Cape Town in 1995 by local co-founders Irené Raubenheimer and Paul Fuller. Whilst their focus in the early days was on building a pet gear company, they also wanted to create a culture of caring, being real, following passions and being a part of the change in South Africa. Rogz pet gear’s non-profit organization – Rogz Academy – evolved in 2013, formally registered in 2016, is making a difference at Rogz HQ as well as in local communities of Dunoon and Joe Slovo townships nearby. Rogz Academy’s three focus areas are education, youth development and nutrition.

Rogz pet gear’s co-founder, Paul Fuller’s passion for nature and in particular urban gardens, resulted in the creation of the Rogz Urban Farm in 2013. By changing the pavements outside the Rogz pet gear Headquarters in Omuramba Business Park, from messy overgrown foliage into rows of fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit trees, its goal was to harvest these veggies and fruit for all Roggerz at Rogz pet gear HQ and feed their families and community. 

For the past decade, we have given back to our local communities!  Rogz pet gear is able to provide not only for Rogz staff, but also nutrient-rich vegetables to soup kitchens in local under-resourced schools in Dunoon and Joe Slovo townships. It’s far more than just another ‘‘veggie patch’. It’s a symbol. A symbol of community, of “Ubuntu” and of what it means to be Proudly South African.

Healthy, organic produce is regularly harvested, supplementing the school soup kitchens to feed the learners so that they can study with full stomachs. Seasonally this includes spinach, cabbage, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, leeks and onions and the list is growing! We also regularly make lunch and treats for our Rogz staff using produce from our Rogz garden, and in winter our vegetable soup is a favourite! Rogz Carrot cake and banana muffins are also very happily eaten! Rogz has a special Rogz Recipe Book which is compiled of recipes from staff at Rogz, using vegetables from our garden and it is freely downloadable.

We are proud of the hard work from our farmers – Davie, Eddie and John – who take care of the Rogz Urban Farm daily under management from Rogz Operations Manager, Graham with the assistance of Shimone. Paul is Chairman of the Omuramba Business Park and has successfully gained the trust of other businesses to join our ESG journey. The Rogz Urban Farm has now extended its space and more pavements have been transformed into vegetable gardens with other companies in the Urban Park where Rogz HQ reside, joining the transformation. 

Atlantic Fertilisers kindly donates organic fertiliser regularly which is dug into the soil to improve the quality of produce. Rogz compost heaps also supplement the soil with organic matter, whilst natural pest repellents are used. Adding good nutrition to the soil is imperative for healthy harvests and Atlantic Fertilisers is playing a big role! We are extremely grateful for their regular donations!

Rogz Academy believes that good nutrition is a building block for improving physical and mental health in children. Sustainability is also a big vision for Rogz pet gear, and our Rogz Urban Farm has been playing an important role. We are in our 10th year Anniversary, celebrating a decade of a difference! We are grateful to partners such as Atlantic Fertilisers who have joined our ESG goals. Here’s to 2024…. And beyond!