From a hands-on family factory in Pietersburg to an internationally connected fruit-processing business, Granor Passi’s 70-year story is one of ingenuity, courage and people.
Granor Passi’s story began in 1956, when Jan and Muntie Venter set out to turn local fruit into products for a wider market. Their factory opened the following year in Industria Street, Pietersburg as Gran-or, a name created from granadilla and orange. The work was demanding and largely manual, but innovation came early. Jan patented an extraction machine, expanded into bottling, jam and canned fruit, and pursued opportunities beyond South Africa. The company name, Gran-or (Pty) Ltd was registered in 1957.
A breakthrough came through Switzerland’s Passi AG, which was seeking another source of passionfruit. In 1972, it acquired 49% of Gran-or and the company became Granor Passi (Pty) Ltd—the beginning of a new international chapter.
After financial pressure led the Venter family to sell, Jan and Henk van der Berg took over in 1974 and led the next 27 years of growth.
Seventy years on, Granor Passi celebrates more than longevity. It celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit, practical innovation, trusted partnerships and dedicated people who turned a small-town factory into a South African success story with international reach and a legacy that continues to grow.
GRANOR PASSI • 1957–2027 • 70 YEARS OF GROWTH
