About Us
John Smith of Biggarsberg Thatchers has had a firm hand in the thatching industry since the mid-eighties, by supplying the industry with thatch grass harvested from his family farm in Biggarsberg, Northern KZN. A decade later, he started his own thatching business.
Biggarsberg Thatchers has grown from strength to strength, and this is due to John’s eye to detail, their high standard of workmanship, highest quality thatch grass, best quality poles, and a very importantly, constant site supervision. They pride themselves in doing exceptional work.
At the start of Biggarsberg Thatchers in 1996, John and his son, Shaun carried out most of the pole construction themselves, with the help of temporary labour, and two good quality thatchers were employed. Today, Biggarsberg Thatchers employ approximately 100 labourers, consisting of fully in-house trained pole carpenters and highly in-house trained quality thatchers. The company has an ongoing skills transfer programme in place.
Biggarsberg Thatcher’s have won numerous local awards over the years, the National Design awards for ‘Most Aesthetic Design’ ‘Best structural design’ to the most recent award, ‘Best Thatchroof in the World’ which saw 72 entries from eight countries. This award was presented at the International Thatcher’s Society Conference, which was held in Cape Town in February 2014. The conference was attended by approximately 105 Thatchers, from 7 international countries and 26 South African Thatchers.
