George is said to be the second largest city in the Western Cape where it lies between the towering Outeniqua mountains and the blue Indian Ocean. This pretty town surrounded by many forests and farms is where we find S. Haddad Agricultural Services, a newly appointed dealer for Bell Equipment’s Forestry & Agriculture Division.

Sandor (Sandy) Haddad established the business in George in 1975 after moving there from Bloemfontein where he had qualified as a diesel mechanic. His initial aim was to provide general repair and servicing to the agricultural sector as he had gained much experience of the industry and its many mechanical challenges, like becoming an expert at fixing problematic gearboxes in agricultural tractors.

Success in one field breeds success in others and Sandy soon found his business immersed in a much wider offering as his son Sidney explains: “My dad is sadly no longer with us as we lost him in 2020 but his legacy in the business lives on due to the solid groundwork he had laid over 45 years along with attention to detail and his caring nature that made him known across South Africa.

“Even before I joined the business in 1994, we had been the agents for some well-known tractor brands and since 2005 we have been the local distributors of Landini tractors. Added to this we sell and service a host of agricultural equipment and another very interesting aspect of our business can be found in the land preparation and planting we do on behalf of clients, for dairy, vegetable, and fruit cultivation.”

Sidney mentions that they have become adept at bush clearing, creating ridges on land where any variety of fruit trees may be planted, de-stumping and mulching of old orchards and preparing and planting of pastures. Strawberry cultivation in the George area has expanded exponentially in recent times which has kept S. Haddad’s teams busy.

The company services clients such as farms, sawmills, schools, processing plants and the construction industry within a 200km radius to the east, west and north around George. Sidney’s wife, Lisa, is also involved in the business and they have recently established a depot in Oudtshoorn, which will soon have mechanics as well to further expand the company’s service offering.

S. Haddad Agricultural Services employs three qualified mechanics who are mentoring two apprentices and inhouse servicing and repair is shared with infield servicing. The company stocks an impressive number of spares.

“We’ve found that many farmers and industries in our area already own JCB Backhoe Loaders in various models and we’ve in turn been asked to service these machines for some time now,” Sidney says. “We’ve known Gerhard Riekert, JCB’s District Sales Manager for the agriculture division, for a long time and he approached us recently to hear whether we’d be keen to formalise our relationship with Bell Equipment, who are the South African distributors for JCB equipment, and we jumped at the opportunity.”

“We see this as a wonderful opportunity to expand our portfolio of services and reach a far wider target market with Bell Equipment and JCB’s innovative machines that have a real purpose in farming and forestry, and even turf industries. From the many models of JCB Backhoe Loaders to the JCB Loadalls, which seem born to load and unload fruit crates and animal fodder, down to the Skid Steers with their compact design and tight turning circles – these machines all show huge potential to take over the market in our area.”

“The favourable financing options that Bell and JCB have brought to the market has made it inviting for customers to consider buying new machines and we already have a local farmer seriously considering a new JCB 3DX Eco Backhoe Loader. We’re confident that more current owners will consider replacing older equipment soon with these excellent interest rates in mind.”

Going back to its founder Sandy Haddad’s time, S. Haddad Agricultural Services has cultivated a reputation as a company with a big heart as it freely gives back to its community as well. The company services equipment for certain community projects free of charge and makes equipment available to local schools and golf courses.

Sidney Haddad, holding a portrait of his late father Sandor, stands in a passage which features photographs of customers with their new Landini tractors.