Many of you know that the Owl Box Project enjoys the support and sponsorship of Woodoc, who endorses our Project in such a valuable way.

The trademark Woodoc is a household brand name in South Africa, but it is a little-known fact that Woodoc is a family business and still operates from its original premises on a farm in the Eastern Cape. Hennie Greeff (the father of the present Managing Director) founded Rekara Mills (Pty) Ltd - which manufactures Woodoc products - in 1971. To this day, Rekara Mills is the only company in South Africa that exclusively manufactures wood surface coatings and wood protectors.

Hennie Greeff based the formulae for the original Woodoc products on research he had done on the products used in the 18th and 19th Century by master carpenters in the Cape. He reasoned that if an antique crafted in the 1700’s in the Cape, (which had been taken into the interior on an ox wagon, and which had spent the better part of 50 years in a chicken coop in the Eastern Cape), could just be cleaned and was still in good condition, something must have been done right to start with. And so Woodoc was born.

The company’s factory is situated on the farm Clifton, just outside the town of Fort Beaufort. The reason for the unique position of the factory on a farm is partly historical in nature: this is where Mr Greeff Sr. originally started manufacturing Woodoc products. The factory developed over the years from one that was aimed at manufacturing small quantities of product entirely by hand, into a thoroughly modern manufacturing plant using the latest computer aided manufacturing processes in its operations. Packaging is, however, still done by hand. The reason for this is that the factory provides employment opportunities for people who would otherwise have no prospects of employment in this rural setting. The company regards it as part of its social responsibility to maintain this income stream into the rural community; hence, they say, it will remain at its present location for as long as possible. In return the company receives absolute dedication, loyalty and very high productivity from its staff.

Frikkie Greeff, Hennie Greeff’s son, eventually took over the day-to-day running of the company and is now the Managing Director of Woodoc. From its humble beginnings in Fort Beaufort, Woodoc has become such a popular brand that it is now sold throughout Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, as well as in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and numerous countries worldwide.

In their Social Mission Statement Woodoc says that it strives “To conduct our business with integrity and in a socially responsible manner to preserve the quality of the environment.”
Woodoc’s sponsorship of the Owl Box Project does exactly that! All of our owl boxes are coated with Woodoc Marine 55, and have been since the very start of the project, but we are proud to now have an even deeper association with Woodoc and we’re delighted that Frikkie Greeff and his team have embraced the concept of the Owl Box Project.