About RegenRoots

From Bethlehem to RegenRoots.

RegenRoots tells the story of a boy from Bethlehem in the Free State of South Africa with a passion for farming and especially regenerating our soils.

That boy is Francois Maree. Since he was little, he knew he wanted to be a farmer one day, despite not knowing how it would be possible because his parents did not own any farmland.

In 2020, while he was in Grade 8, he met Danie Slabbert, one of the leaders in regenerative agriculture. That was the moment the RegenRoots spark was lit. He spent holidays and every chance away from school on Danie's farm, sharing in that passion.

In 2024 he finished matric with five distinctions. Instead of going straight to university like many of his peers, he took a chance on starting his own regenerative farm.

He began with broiler chicks for a pastured broiler experiment, which then evolved into the pastured layer operation. Instead of spending money on a degree, he invested in building the basic equipment needed for a layer system.

With his father working as an orchard manager, Francois was fortunate enough to live on a farm, and the farm owner gave him permission to use unused pieces of land around the orchard for the project.

With the grace of God, RegenRoots was born.