From lab coats to overalls: The engineer fertilising the future

IOL News

08-08-2025

Thandiwe Mchunu, the engineer fertilising the future.
Image: Supplied
Thandiwe Mchunu's journey from chemical engineer to organic farming pioneer is not just a tale of career change but a powerful testimony of vision, resilience, and rural revitalisation.
Raised in the small village of Amahlongwa on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast, Mchunu wears many hats, mother, sister, farmer, researcher, and award-winning academic with a master's degree in chemical engineering from UKZN. Her early life was steeped in agriculture, growing corn, amadumbe, sweet potatoes, and peanuts with her family. But it was a Grade 10 school trip as a learner from Adams College to the Engen Refinery that ignited a dream far beyond the farm.
"I was fascinated by the integrated systems, the massive pipelines and mega tanks. Even though it was in the petroleum industry, I imagined a similar setup in rural areas for clean water, electricity, and food."
Elevate Her
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That dream simmered quietly as Mchunu pursued her studies and gained industrial experience at Sasol Technology, where she worked for over five years. Her passion for engineering blossomed, and she credits the corporate lab environment for sharpening her technical skills and creative thinking.
However, fate had other plans.
In 2018, following the death of her mother, Mchunu made the life-altering decision to leave her job at Unisa Science Campus, despite winning awards and being on a promising academic path, and returned home to reclaim the family land.
Thandiwe Mchunu gave up her career as an engineer, to establish a biorefinery and fresh produce farm she had always dreamed of.
Image: Supplied
'It was a drastic decision, but the land was abandoned. I had to return to KZN, not just for the farm, but to establish the biorefinery and fresh produce farm I had always dreamed of,' she said.
That decision birthed a unique fusion of science and sustainability, using cow dung to produce liquid fertiliser and biogas. Mchunu had previously explored this method during her master's studies, working alongside researchers at the CSIR. Cow dung was fed into anaerobic digesters to yield clean-burning biogas for cooking and a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser.
'The goal was simple: no organic waste going into landfills. The fertiliser goes to the vegetables, and the waste from the vegetables cycles back into the digester. It's a closed-loop, sustainable system.'
With just 25 litres of fertiliser a month in the early days, she couldn't keep up with the demand from local farmers who thought she was already running a full-scale biorefinery.
'Some wanted 50 kilolitres at a time! That's when I knew this wasn't just a hobby; it was a business opportunity with real potential.'
Mchunu now works with a network of over 300,000 farmers in KwaZulu-Natal and supplies organic produce to fresh produce markets and institutions like hospitals, prisons, hotels, and schools. At one point, she was delivering up to 200 bunches of spinach a week to two Spar supermarkets, until sabotage struck.
'A jealous neighbour sprayed weed killer on our spinach crop at night. We arrived to find our plants dying. We had to cancel all our orders. On the third day, it was clear it was poison. That incident forced us to re-evaluate security.'
Security challenges remain one of the biggest obstacles to scaling up operations, along with labour and packaging costs. Mchunu says sourcing organic waste is the easy part; it's the manpower for planting, harvesting, and packaging that strains the budget.
Still, giving up is not an option. Support from the Department of Agriculture, Umdoni Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal's Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), and private partners has kept her going, and she remains committed to expanding into agro-processing, especially organic dried fruits, herbs, and vegetables.
Thandiwe Mchunu works with a network of over 300,000 farmers in KwaZulu-Natal and supplies organic produce to fresh produce markets and institutions like hospitals, prisons, hotels, and schools.
Image: Supplied
'We already grow fresh produce. Now we need to add value through drying and processing to extend shelf life naturally, dried peppers, parsley, coriander, tomatoes, and more,' she said.
Her products stand out not only because they're organic but also because they are crafted by someone who understands the science behind them.
'I chose organic because I know what chemicals can do to the human body. As a chemical engineer, I understand how certain additives affect us. I want my body to receive food it can recognise, not foreign substances,' said Mchunu, who is not shy of citing her flawless, glowing skin as an example of the results of eating healthy, fresh-from-the-ground food.
Her commitment to research has earned her international exposure. She was selected by CSIR to present at the World Science Forum, has represented South Africa at the World Skills International Competition in Brazil, and participated in the African Union Commission's Bioenergy Strategy, visiting countries across East, West, and Southern Africa.
In July 2025, she was named Organic Supplier of the Year by Umgibe Training Institute, a well-deserved accolade for someone who has merged science and sustainability with such tenacity.
Her parting advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and scientists is simple but profound:
'Studying and starting a business is the same as learning to walk. You fall many times, but the desire to walk remains, and eventually, it becomes normal. Keep going, only you and your Creator know the impact you're meant to have on this planet.'
For Mchunu, the journey from pipelines to planting has not been easy. But it is proof that when passion meets purpose, even cow dung can become liquid gold.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE