An Angolan national (24) was arrested on Sunday at a commercial farm in the Hochfeld area after he allegedly attacked and killed his girlfriend with a panga the police’s head of community affairs in the Otjozondjupa region says the deceased was on Monday identified by close relatives as Laina Iiyambo (31) “The alleged attack took place on Sunday night at about 20h30 on Olundago commercial farm in the Hochfeld area of the Okahandja district,” she says Preliminary police investigations indicate that Iiyambo’s boyfriend hit her on the arms She died at the scene shortly after the attack and detectives working on the case are still trying to establish the motive for the incident The suspect is expected to make his first court appearance in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court this week on a charge of murder copyright in the content of this website vest in The Free Press of Namibia (Proprietary) Limited (Registration No 85/058) The unauthorized making of copies or use of this material constitutes a copyright infringment under the Namibian Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Protection Act Powered by PageSuite © 2025 The Namibian This site asks for consent to use your data We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Each of the signings will focus on key objectives that aim to “directly benefit customers” New Chief Product Officer Amir Hochfeld will focus on aligning Zero Density’s product development strategy with customers’ production needs and driving innovation in its product offering will enhance support by providing ongoing assistance tailored to customers’ unique needs The appointments are completed by the arrival of Ralf van Vegten will be responsible for raising awareness of Zero Density’s products and services and expanding the brand in his first statement as part of Zero Density said that his department will focus on “create products that enable them to produce even more captivating and immersive content.” In addition Alba says he will help the firm’s clients “unleashing the full potential of our technology and generating outstanding content that captures audiences across the globe.” Finally Van Vegten hopes to “assist more broadcasters and content creators in enhancing their productions with our state-of-the-art technology and solidify Zero Density’s brand on a global scale.” takes stock of the appointments and the opportunities these decisions will bring to the brand: “This marks a major milestone in our growth plan We’re thrilled to have these media market executives join our team as we strive to offer improved solutions and services to our clients Their varied backgrounds and skills will contribute to establishing a solid groundwork for the expansion of our worldwide company allowing us to better cater to our customers and address their ever-changing production requirements.” Suscríbete a nuestro RSS feed y no te perderás nada © 2024 Panorama Audiovisual - 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By 2020-04-30T17:16:40+01:00 Hochfeld International has wrapped up a new joint venture with a Chinese fruit packer to increase seedless grape sales in the world’s largest country Richard Hochfeld Group’s director of business development Martin O’Sullivan said the new JV will “significantly increase” their sales of seedless grapes to China which he said currently had an underdeveloped seedless grape market Hochfeld International is the international trading arm of UK-based Richard Hochfeld The firm agreed the partnership with Zhuang ’an a fruit packer and distributor based in Jiaxing The JV business has officially been registered as Jiaxing Hi Fruit Impoart & Export Co Ltd but will be referred to as Hi Fruit in short consisting of a packing operation for seedless grapes “Our key objective is to add value to the product we supply into our Chinese customers,” said O’Sullivan “The seedless grape category is relatively underdeveloped in China but awareness of the range of varieties doesn’t widely exist yet But it is an innovative category and by packing the product to a highhygienestandard Hi Fruit will aim to increase the potential to sell the value proposition of seedless grapes and move away from them being sold as a commodity “Richard Hochfeld Group are the seedless grape experts,” he added “whether that be through our farming operations or our technical team based in the UK who have been working with grape for decades “We have proved in the UK that we can educate customers on what each variety will give them and what taste sensations they can expect We can do that in China too,and one way to communicate the message effectively is through labelled RHG will install a new line in the Hi Fruit packhouse working alongside long-standing partner Marco which supplies packhouse productivitymanagementsolutions chairmanof Zhuang'an thanked managing director Alan Guindi and the entire Richard Hochfeld Group staff for striking the new partnership “Zhuang ‘an has been involved in the cultivation safe fruit and vegetables for more than 10 years and we have been well received by farmers recognised by customers and supported by our government.,” Jianmin said “This JV with RHG will bring the highest quality and most advanced packing line to China and enable us to better serve our customer base in the Chinese market We believethatour collaborationwillbe have agreatsuccess.” O’Sullivan concluded: “We envisage that this venture will enable us to significantly increase our sales of seedless grapes in China but growing market for packed seedless grapes we’re opening up market access to China for a greater proportion of our product.” Hochfeld International will continue to directly supply its other wholesale and retail customers in China with loose seedless grapesand other products Site powered by Webvision Cloud A 35-year-old man from Hochfeld in the Okahandja district was convicted of rape on Friday by Regional Magistrate Selma Sibeya in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court Sibeya convicted Andreas Mouton on one count of rape He was charged with raping a 30-year-old woman who has the mindset of a three-to-five-year-old Mouton pleaded not guilty and proffered a defence of consensual sexual conduct.  were in a relationship for the past two years before his arrest He was found having intercourse with the victim on 20 February 2021 at a farm near Hochfeld established that the victim was crying while the accused raped her.  Ndinelao Kaxuxuena stated the complainant is not able to consent to a sexual act as she is like a child and requires praise for her to talk “I hold the view that the State managed to prove that the accused committed a sexual act with the complainant under coercive circumstances which constitutes rape,” the magistrate said She further said when the complainant was asked about the rape she appeared sad and did not want to talk about it Kaxuxuena testified that she believes the complainant suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder The psychologist testified that the complainant could not give a coherent account of the crime but she did say she did not want to see the accused again as she is afraid of him  The magistrate accepted that the complainant did not testify at the recommendation of the psychologist who said the woman would not be able to understand questions put to her The magistrate also found no negative inferences from this corroborated evidence shows that the accused had sexual intercourse with the complainant but what must be established is whether it was with consent Evidence presented during the trial showed that the complainant is like a child who must be bathed She further said even the accused admitted knowing the complainant was mentally-impaired although he claimed that she was “normal” sometimes she said the evidence of the psychologist and the complainant’s guardian that the complainant had the mental capacity of a three-to five-year-old The magistrate said the accused was not a credible witness He tried to demonstrate that although the complainant was mentally-impaired she at times behaved normally and could consent to sexual intercourse While there is no onus on an accused to prove the truthfulness of his explanation the magistrate said she is satisfied that his explanation is false beyond doubt About Us Vacancies Procurement Gallery Contact Us We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies. We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below. The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website, store your preferences, and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you. These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent. You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience. Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data. Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns. these two stocks have declined significantly but are now trading at attractive levels The current macroeconomic environment has made investment decisions difficult for investors. In such a scenario, the TipRanks Expert Center brings to you the opinions and transaction histories of the world’s top financial experts. In our “Expert Spotlight Piece” today, we bring to you the top picks of five-star rated financial blogger Bert Hochfeld from Seeking Alpha Hochfeld remains optimistic about the technology sector and his top picks from the sector are Salesforce and Trade Desk Hochfeld has had a long career in the technology sector with erstwhile stints in major corporations such as IBM Hochfeld formed his own independent research advisory group which provided research services to major institutions Hochfeld is an MBA graduate from the prestigious Harvard University and a graduate with a degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania According to the TipRanks Star Ranking System Bert Hochfeld ranks #3 out of 12,995 bloggers in the TipRanks universe and #5 among 20,994 overall experts Hochfeld’s success rate in picking stocks stands at 76% whereas his average return per rating is an impressive 52.7% The analyst’s average returns relative to the S&P 500 and the benchmark sector stand at 36.4% and 27.8% As is evident from the majority of his recommendations Notably, according to TipRanks, Hochfeld’s most profitable pick has been Block Inc. (SQ) between March 20 CA-based cloud-based software company Salesforce is a leader in the customer relationship management space customer service, marketing automation the company commands a market cap of $181.56 billion Salesforce’s recent results for the first quarter were impressive with both revenue and earnings surpassing estimates While revenues surged by 24% from the previous year to $7.41 billion earnings of $0.98 per share surpassed the consensus estimate of $0.94 per share The blogger opines that Salesforce’s varied product offerings and superior sales execution capabilities hold the company in good stead amid an adverse economic environment the company’s strong balance sheet and huge order book give it a solid footing the analyst enjoys a success rate of 67% and an average profit of 11.4% on the stock Overall, 81% of bloggers on TipRanks are bullish on Salesforce Technology company Trade Desk specializes in real-time programmatic marketing automation technologies and services designed to personalize digital content delivery to users The company’s market cap stands at $22.99 billion Trade Desk’s recent results for the first quarter were upbeat with revenues growing by 43% from the prior year to $315 million EPS went up by 50% from the previous year to $0.21 Hochfeld remains optimistic about the stock He reckons that the company’s growth prospects look strong with the wider movement by advertisers to move their spending to the premium connected TV the blogger is upbeat about the company’s financial situation as its strong free cash flow margins make Trade Desk an attractive bet the analyst enjoys a success rate of 100% and a whopping average profit of 162.2% on the stock Overall, 89% of bloggers on TipRanks are bullish on Trade Desk against the sector average of 65% Financial bloggers cut through the complexities of the financial world and provide a view that is simplistic yet efficient picks from a top financial blogger of the ilk of Bert Hochfeld can be taken into consideration by investors as viable investment choices Read full Disclosure Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Notably, according to TipRanks, Hochfeld’s most profitable pick has been Block Inc. (SQ) between March 20 Overall, 81% of bloggers on TipRanks are bullish on Salesforce Overall, 89% of bloggers on TipRanks are bullish on Trade Desk against the sector average of 65% Read full Disclosure Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue The TipRanks Expert Center brings to you the top picks of an experienced financial blogger from the technology sector Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement Money market funds (MMFs) have had a rocky ride of late with Refinitiv Lipper data for the week to July 14 showing outflows of $18.6 billion globally The only places where even the smallest yields are achievable are sterling and US dollar denominated funds Euro-denominated funds have been in a negative-yielding environment for more than six years through a combination of European Central Bank (ECB) buying of corporate paper the huge increase in excess liquidity at the ECB and credit spreads being at their lowest levels since the middle of 2007 it is very difficult to generate a positive yield in euros,” says Natalie Cross senior client portfolio manager at Invesco You have reached the limit for gifting for this month the asset management business of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) today announced the appointment of Kim Hochfeld as a senior managing director and global head of the firm’s cash business within the Global Institutional Group. (Photo available) who has over 25 years of experience and will join the firm in Q1 2020 was most recently with Morgan Stanley Investment Management where she was a managing director and head of liquidity distribution for EMEA and Asia Hochfeld will be responsible for all client-facing activities including sales operations and services on behalf of the firm's cash management client base across the Americas cross regional sales team to market and grow State Street Global Advisors’ global institutional cash management products and solutions to corporate treasury departments financial intermediaries as well as other institutional cash investors and players “Kim joins a strong team of professionals in our global cash business and we are delighted to welcome her to the firm,” said Barry F.X “She is a seasoned professional who brings excellent experience and a very strong track record I am confident that Kim’s leadership will help us build on the terrific growth we have seen in the business and I know she will deliver great outcomes for our clients Hochfeld will be based in London and report to Smith HOCHFELD area farm resident Karl Friedrich Eichhoff is remaining in police custody after the case in which he is charged with murder was postponed on Monday Eichhoff’s case was postponed to 27 March when he appeared before Magistrate Khaepriums Swartz during a periodical court session at Hochfeld The case was postponed to give the police more time to carry out further investigations The incident – and specifically Eichhoff’s attempt to hide the death of Slinger by burying him in an aardvark burrow – led to a public outcry at the time of Eichhoff’s arrest During a bail hearing in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court in November Eichhoff claimed that Slinger was shot accidentally when he fired four shots at a pack of dogs that he found near a cattle post on his father’s farm late on the afternoon of 6 October Eichhoff said he found a man lying wounded on the ground at the scene where the dogs had been when he shot at them He insisted he did not see the man when he fired the shots Eichhoff testified that Slinger died at the scene He told the court that he was in a state of shock and panic and then decided to bury Slinger in a nearby aardvark burrow He acknowledged that his decision to bury Slinger was a big mistake Slinger and two of the dogs killed by Eichhoff were buried in one hole while another dog was buried in a second hole Eichhoff said he remained in a state of shock and worry for the next two days until he owned up to a police officer and told him what had happened when the police who were looking for the missing Slinger at that stage He then pointed out the scene of the shooting and the burial place to the police defeating or obstructing the course of justice He was refused bail in a ruling delivered by Magistrate Swartz on 22 November It is understood that Eichhoff is preparing to appeal to the High Court against the bail ruling Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks An on-going series of strategic investments in farming is creating a secure future supply chain for customers of the UK-based Richard Hochfeld Group (RHG) RHG has undergone a radical change of direction in the last three years; a change that its management team believes has secured not only the business’s long-term future but also a sustainable supply of high-class product for its customer base in the UK has transitioned from being a single company to a group of separate entities which has fundamentally altered the way the business operates The biggest change has undoubtedly been a move back down the supply chain through a new arm of the business Significant investment in joint venture deals in farms in Chile seen RHG engage in a vertically integrated growth strategy that aims to bring new and improved varieties to market.   “We’ve been nudged into diversifying by the prevailing market conditions,” says RHG managing director Alan Guindi We have a tradition of not paying dividends to directors preferring to reinvest money back into the business It’s that approach which has put us into a position now where we can afford to be a little bolder “We’re therefore taking more ownership of our own grape and apple businesses by becoming the farmer as opposed to being just the service provider.” The joint ventures so far are on three continents: RH Farming has formed a joint venture with the Chacon family and now part owns its Santa Ana farm in Ovalle The Chacons already supplied 100% of their grape to RHG so it was a natural next-step for the two companies to come closer together in terms of a financial agreement Within the next two years the Santa Ana farm will yield roughly 650,000 boxes of late Crimson Seedless this represents a good platform to invest in new variety development in Chile and red black and a mid-to-late season white varieties are in the pipeline RH Farming has also financed packing lines in return for exclusivity on the grapes of another Chilean grower which like the Chacon farms was already a long-term supplier Hochfeld Farming has made a significant investment in 25 hectares of land in partnership with the Greek Grape Company and planted new vines of Sweet Celebration and Sweet Globe of which crop is already coming through this year A late-ish white variety and a black variety Sweet Joy are also being planted this winter Projected figures suggest the volume produced for export from Greece will more than triple in the next two years RHG has reached an agreement with supplier Paresh Bhayani of IndyGlobal to utilise some as-yet unfarmed land to trial a series of black grape varieties with a view to planting the best performers in larger commercial volumes a joint venture is being finalised with Monviso also for exclusive supply of the grower’s grapes Hochfeld Farming has bought a 23-acre apple and pear farm near Goudhurst in Kent which is currently home to Bramley and Gala The mid-term plan is to plant that farm with new varieties the first new apple to be introduced by Scion Fruits Ltd the exclusively British fruit-breeding programme owned by RHG in partnership with the nursery Frank P Matthews a trade insurance company based in Guernsey that offers foreign exporters who supply RHG quick and easy insurance deals; Top Fruit Ltd a JV with Foxhole Spirits that uses RHG’s surplus grape to distil a premium craft gin.  “All of this underpins not only our UK business but also our growing export business into Asia and eastern Europe,” says Guindi “A lot of that non-core UK business is being facilitated through a subsidiary company called RH International Ltd in which the senior management team are all shareholders “The farms and partners have been chosen based on close personal relationships developed over 20 years and more,” says Guindi “These are people we have total confidence in; people who understand the needs of our customers and their shoppers “Due to the close relationship we also have with one of the world’s major grape breeding companies we already have licensed varieties planted in Greece who joined RHG from Tesco as business development director two and a half years ago says there is very clear thinking behind the nature of the investment in joint ventures with growers “There’s nothing random about this; we have a very detailed development plan We’re searching for suitable land that is close to growers who we know and trust,” he explains “We don’t want to be driving the tractor!” In Greece RH Farming and the Greek Grape Company bought land that was not previously in production “Greek grape has always been heavily traded but we believe there is a market for top quality Greek grape to come into the UK market if they plant the right varieties in the right location to hit a particular late window in their season,” says O’Sullivan “The only way for us to really have an influence on that was to invest.” Less than 25 miles from RHG’s Borough Green headquarters the orchard in Goudhurst has been strategically selected to suit varieties coming out of the Scion Fruits breeding programme we want to expand and accelerate the development of our new apple varieties,” O’Sullivan says “We feel that the way to do that is to work with growers The business has also restructured its management team internally “We have appointed Karen Cleave as technical director across the group we’ve moved Richard Brewer over to lead our British development work at Scion Fruits I came in from Tesco to head up our business development and Debbie Lombard has recently also joined us from Tesco to head up our Greek business as well as other developing foreign market projects,” says O’Sullivan The desire to spread the investment still burns bright and RHG is constantly on the lookout for farming land that fits its very specific criteria “It guarantees that our customers will secure their supply It guarantees that they will know where it comes from with all the accreditations they need And they will also get varieties in the future that will be the best of the best,” O’Sullivan says For more information:Alan GuindiRichard Hochfeld GroupTel: +44 1732 885566 Email: [email protected]  FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com By 2016-06-20T10:38:56+01:00 Have you heard the one about the fresh produce MD As well as heading up leading Tesco top-fruit and table grape supplier Richard Hochfeld one of Alan Guindi’s favourite pastimes is performing stand-up comedy Clips of Guindi in action are available on YouTube not that he needs an introduction to most people in this industry as Guindi’s father was a shareholder in Richard Hochfeld until he and Wilfred Hochfeld – son of the founder – sold their shares to a French co-operative in 1989 before Guindi and his business partner Jon Jones took full control of the business three years ago while the siblings’ cousins run Caithness Potatoes With Richard Hochfeld expecting to post a turnover of around £150 million this year three times what it was recording a few years ago Guindi has helped the business become one of the UK’s major fresh produce players Guindi tells FPJ: “There was a big drive at Tesco and so we went to Tesco offering service provision for those companies they bought their products from That then evolved into the agency model we have with them today.” As a result Richard Hochfeld is now among the biggest suppliers of English top fruit to the UK’s largest supermarket Tesco’s tribulations have received much coverage over the last 18 months but Guindi is a big fan of chief executive Dave Lewis: “I love him,” he matter of factly responds when asked about the former Unilever stalwart Jason Tarry [chief product officer at Tesco] too and the pair of them are making a huge difference there They are very conscious of growers’ needs.” That willingness to fully support growers financially – allowing them to plan and invest for the long term – has occasionally been in short supply in recent times due to the ongoing price war being fought by the UK’s leading supermarkets which has seen some growers’ profit margins taking a hefty cut Such a race into the gutter on price has stemmed from the rise of the hard discounters with the big four scrambling around to compete with matching or lower price points While Guindi believes that the likes of Asda and Morrisons are right to keep tabs on what the discounters are doing he adds: “I’m a big believer in not allowing the tail to wag the dog - rowing one’s own boat is always the best policy.” Given the nature of his business as an importer and the related need to keep the pound as stable as possible Guindi is one of many in this industry who fully backs the Bremain campaign he quips: “There should be an intelligence test to see if you should be allowed to vote in the referendum - but you’d fail the test if you were going to vote no.” A pro-European outcome from the UK going to the polls on 23 June could help Richard Hochfeld lay the foundations for continued success Guindi says that he expects to see further consolidation in terms of suppliers and service providers to UK retailers: “The goal is finding the most economic value supply chains and the right models,” he adds One of the things Richard Hochfeld is working to achieve in the short term is providing a fresher product to the end consumer Guindi says: “I would like to see us in a position in future where we are doing 100 per cent of Tesco’s grape and top-fruit capacity And maybe even a third or fourth line for them too.” Given the key role Richard Hochfeld plays in supplying one of the world’s largest businesses with two of its key products this stated aim probably won’t prove to be a pipe dream the joke certainly isn’t on Guindi and the family firm - Moved to South Yorkshire and then London as a child - Started writing for comediansabout eight years ago - One of the first firms to import from Chile to the UK - Sells imported and homegrown fruit to Tesco - Also offers service provision to the retailer - Imports citrus and Iceberg lettuce for wholesalers While rough economic times were making the owners of "Pressed for Time" in Brodheadsville feel that something needed to give a customer came in with an idea that changed everything The idea later turned the small business into a "green" alternative for the community "We cleaned a man's draperies once and he was so happy that he asked if we could do his suits," owner Caroline Hochfeld said "That is how the dry cleaning part of the business really started." But this isn't just any kind of dry cleaning Being kind to the environment was important to the Hochfelds so the quest to find a "green" alternative to dry cleaning began "I went on the Internet to try to find wholesale dry cleaners and said to my wife that I needed an angel to help us out," Al Hochfeld said "Then I found 'On the Spot Dry Cleaners' and the owner's name just happened to be Angel." "On the Spot Dry Cleaners" uses 40 percent less perq a chemical that can irritate the skin and pollute a person's health "It is healthier for all involved to not use perq It's better for the skin and you don't have to inhale it all day long," Caroline Hochfeld said The turn-around time for dry cleaning is usually only a day or two which is a big plus for those on-the-go folks And the Hochfelds don't think that everything needs to be dry cleaned so they usually stop a few people and save them some money "One out of every four suits doesn't even need to be dry cleaned We only send stuff out if it absolutely needs to be dry cleaned," Al Hochfeld said Not using so many chemicals adds to the longevity of the suit." The Hochfelds said that their business is 100 percent "green" and that's the way they like it "We aren't polluting the area with any of our services," Al Hochfeld said the family owned business is doing a few other things to help the environment "We have our five kids make the coupons that we distribute," Caroline Hochfeld said "They just started doing that and it is getting some attention." "The kids personalize the coupons with drawings Making the coupons this way saves on ink since the kids use crayons The creative Hochfeld children also make pillows that are given to new clients who come in for drapery services It was their idea to do that," Caroline Hochfeld said Giving back to the community is a top issue for the family Being right down the road from Kinsley's Shop Rite has helped "We are at Kinsley's almost every day handing out coupons," Al Hochfeld said "Kinsley's does a lot for this neighborhood Caroline Hochfeld wants to be able to help out the local schools as well "We give to the Pleasant Valley schools and have lots of customers there since we are right next door," she said Although there is some competition right across the street they don't feel that there is much competing going on we have regular customers," Caroline Hochfeld said The business offers services that include draperies They are always open to adding new services With more than 600 customers served in only about eight months the family feels they are on their way to growing Richard Hochfeld imports grape from many origins around the world at the moment there is fruit from Italy and Greece on the UK market Namibian fruit will arrive next week and South Africans have started packing in the Northern Cape and North Eastern Transvaal with every indication of a good season “We still have some of the late Northern Hemisphere grapes mainly from Italy and some from northern Greece the Spanish did a series of promotions in summer and autumn We have had a nice season of Brazilian fruit too with good arrivals of both white and black seedless with good quality there is more red fruit coming from Brazil than has been seen in previous years but this later part of the Brazilian season has had some colouring issues a rapidly expanding industry with focus on other markets has been quite an inconsistent source for the UK and Brazil has stepped in and filled that gap Last year for example when it was thought that the US would have an over supply the US is looking at a short supply from California and Peru is sending most of its grapes there Richard Hochfeld mainly does programs for a large retailer so Karen didn’t want to comment on market prices but did say that there is no oversupply but there is certainly more competition from other products in the fresh produce aisles There are so many great new varieties around which is great for growers as they are higher yielding and travel better but do consumers know the difference and does it even matter if they don’t “The consumer knows a few varieties such as Sable seedless and Cotton Candy for example The way forward is in sequencing – a good 12 week supply of similar tasting grapes more like a consistent group  rather than individual varieties especially with the larger retailers where they have lots of different tasting varieties In time as volumes evolve I’m sure there will be a push on getting consumers more engaged.” according to Karen it seems they like to hedge their bets “Maybe you have a 50-50 split in a household between people who want red and people who want white Very few retailers stock seeded grapes these days they usually end up in ethnic markets but can be found in one discounter For more information:Karen CleavesRichard Hochfeld GroupTel: +44 1732885566Email: [email protected] www.richardhochfeld.co.uk/   All are from Effort and attend Pleasant Valley a passionate musician playing several instruments Da's Pub in Blakeslee and she played at Steel Stacks in Bethlehem as a solo artist Rachel attended Lehigh Valley Performing Arts School this summer and constantly writes and practices every chance she gets Rachel is honing her guitar skills at the Pocono Music Exchange with teacher and local performer Gary Dillon Rachel was given a music studio filled with many instruments by her friend and mentor who kindly helps her because he sees her passion and love of music Gabby is a top student and takes honors classes and has been studying piano for 11 years She enjoys classical and jazz music and plays especially at Da's Pub in Blakeslee started playing trumpet at a young age and decided he has a love for everything with strings where he loves to play music for the congregation has been playing for a few years and wants to study music in college in Florida Playing in the talent show: Original song written by Rachel Wild Why they entered: The West End Fair is a family tradition that we don't miss and it would be a great honor to play there and winning would be the chance of a lifetime to play in the big arena Your background: I am a dedicated band student I also sing in the high school acoustic shows and I play about five different instruments Playing in the talent show: Playing guitar and singing Why she entered: I had sung a song a capella at the PVI Idol and one of the committee members saw me perform and asked me to audition and my friend Rachel had really pushed me to audition I never expected to actually make it into the talent show My background: I've been performing at the Shawnee Playhouse for the last six seasons but I actually started writing with accompaniment the summer of 2012 as well as talking to elementary classrooms about how and why I write songs and play instruments Playing in the talent show: An original song "Torn," that I wrote about a month ago about a breakup Why she entered: I entered to get myself out there and to tell the person that I wrote "Torn" about the words I never had the chance to say to tell people things I never got the chance to say But I look at this as an opportunity to show people what I want to do for the rest of my life and hopefully get good experience and feedback Schools: Gina is going into The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts as a sophomore Victoria is going into eighth grade in Connections Academy you would have to go back to the movie "White Christmas" and the song "Sisters." Six years ago our mother thought it would be cute for us to sing that song to our relatives for Christmas The great response that we received from our family really inspired us to continue singing together Slowly we began performing outside of our family circle we have been fortunate enough to perform at places such as Knoebels The Middletown Teen Talent Showcase and Tobyhanna Community Day Each time we are on stage we are more certain on why we love to perform Why they entered: We like to take every opportunity to do what we love "Country Covers." This CD consisted of 10 of country music's megahits from the past decade The album sold approximately 10,000 units worldwide "Crank It Up & Get Loud," is set to be an eight-song EP and will consist of cutting-edge country music It is expected to be released later this year Playing in the talent show: Singing a mixture of country cover songs and songs that will be on my upcoming EP Why he entered: I'm always up for performing at showcase events where I will have the opportunity to meet other great local performers and gain some great performance experience events like this are a great way for me to expand my fan base Background: Although I have been singing for as long as I can remember Playing in the talent show: I will sing "Summertime" by Ella Fitzgerald Why she entered: I try to take advantage of any singing opportunity whether it be a performance or a competition Background: I have participated in the Fine Arts Festival with my church and I also lead worship at my youth group on Wednesdays Playing in the talent show: I will be singing Why she entered: I decided to enter because singing is a big part of my life and it has always been a way for me to communicate with people Background: I started taking piano lessons with Sue Stillo I've earned four superior ratings and one gold cup trophy in as many years in the Junior Music Festival held at ESU Playing in the talent show: Theme from "Pirates of the Caribbean" on the piano Why he entered: Exposure and the chance win money Background: I started singing when I was 4 for my family members I've sung in churches in my earliest years but my most recent endeavors have been performing at Shawnee Playhouse and have previously performed with a Shakespeare theater group called Pocono Shakes The younger generation is very much into technology and has forgotten about live theater and raw SINGING in the talent show: "Don't Rain on my Parade" from the musical "Funny Girl" Why she entered: I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something that I've never done before By 2017-02-20T15:20:54+00:00 Tesco’s former head of fresh food sourcing for Asia Martin O’Sullivan has joined UK fruit supplier Richard Hochfeld as director of business development His role will include developing Hochfeld’s already well-established business with Tesco as well as looking at new opportunities at home and abroad O’Sullivan has previously worked in fruit category manager roles at Tesco both before and after his two-year stint in Asia Hochfeld MD Alan Guindi said: “Martin has joined the company as director of business development and will be bringing with him an insight from his time at Tesco “My colleagues and I are all thrilled to have him on the team at this exciting time in the industry.” THE hunter who was named as the contact person in an advertisement for a trophy hunt on two elephants in the Omitara and Hochfeld areas has denied he was the author of the ad or linked to its existence in any way several Namibians expressed their concern yesterday that a trophy hunt is being advertised although no permits have been issued for this particular hunt and neither have the two elephants in question been declared as problem animals an MET spokesperson said so far the elephants have caused only “minimal damage” The spokesperson furthermore said that hunting permits would not be issued at the moment who was named as the contact person in the advertisement for the trophy hunt yesterday denied that he was scouting around for buyers for the permits or that he was involved in the alleged ad He said he had no knowledge of the advertisement nor could he explain why his name was linked to it Lamprecht told The Namibian that while there is discussions in the local hunting community around the fact that these elephants could possibly “at some stage be hunted” no one would put the permit wheels in motion until after the animals were declared as a problem animal As to why his name was attached to the advertisement He said it might be because he is a well-known big game hunter and the unidentified author knew that should the elephants be declared as problem animals Napha stated that while they hope the animals make their way back “peacefully to their last stretches of intact habitat in the north-east” wild elephants could pose a danger to humans and should be kept at a respectful distance at all times One of the Hochfeld farmers said that many farmers in the area were shocked and concerned when reports of the advertisement began circulating “We are in a farming area and we would like to have all these wild animals back in the area And why shoot an animal who is clearly so gentle and not doing any harm She added that while she would understand that measures would have to be taken if they caused severe damage the farmers hoped that the MET would instead transport the animals back to a safer area instead of proclaiming them as problem animals As to the reports that already many hunters are oiling their guns in anticipation of a possible trophy hunt on the two elephants I think these people just want to make more and more money They are not concerned about our environment and animals” The ministry has continually said that the elephants were causing only minor damage not enough to warrant them being declared as problem animals head of the Directorate of Regional Services and Parks Management at MET told the media yesterday that he was not aware of any hunting permits having been released Sikopo said the elephants must be monitored closely with the hope that they return to the northeast where their interaction with humans is limited only then would the ministry declare them as problem animals and have them hunted THE elephant that wreaked havoc and destruction on Farm Delarey in the Hochfeld was destroyed last Thursday by officials from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) which had been terrorising people at the farm since the start of March had also destroyed infrastructure and maize crop worth N$100 000 He dismissed as rubbish allegations that the elephant bull was provoked or threatened on his farm hence making the seemingly meek elephant aggressive My workers have assured me that the elephant was chased with spears stones and dogs at a farm in the same area This is probably what infuriated the animal which then took out its frustration on our farm,” he said “I did not even know one could eat elephant meat,” he said He said all he knows is that it will take about six months to restore the damage caused by the elephant and that he would have to sell some of his cattle to pay for the damage MET officials said the elephant tusks had been taken by the ministry and confirmed that the animal had been driven away from other farms before coming to Farm Delarey A 60-YEAR-OLD farmer in the Hochfeld area appeared in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court on Monday afternoon on charges of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition Willem Maritz appeared before magistrate Khaeprimus Swartz on charges of threatening pistols and ammunition without valid licences and his case postponed to 14 March 2016 to allow for further police investigations Prosecutor Kinda Nangombe represented the State in the matter Maritz was arrested on Friday at Farm Voorslag in the Hochfeld area in the Otjozondjupa region on Monday said that Maritz had on Friday allegedly threatened and pointed a firearm at his farm worker who later the same day reported the matter at the Hochfeld police station the police found and confiscated a variety of firearms a commercial farmer in the same area was arrested and charged for the illegal possession of machine guns hand grenades and 10 000 rounds of ammunition at his farm near Osire Refugee Resettlement Farm is still in police custody at Otjiwarongo after the State added a charge of contravening the Prevention of Combating of Terrorism and Proliferation Activities Act Mostert also faces charges of assault and intent to cause grievous bodily harm The hearing of his bail application is set for 29 and 30 March 2016 in the Otjiwarongo Regional Court A HOCHFELD area farm resident accused of murdering a trespassing neighbour and then burying his body in an aardvark burrow saw his hopes of being granted bail dashed in the Windhoek High Court yesterday Karl Friedrich Eichhoff is remaining in police custody where he has already spent more than six months after Acting Judge Collins Parker dismissed his appeal against a magistrate’s ruling in which his request to be granted bail was turned down in November last year Acting Judge Parker said he would provide reasons for his ruling by 9 May Eichhoff claimed during a bail hearing in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court in November that Slinger was shot accidentally when he fired four shots at a pack of dogs that he had found near a cattle post on his father’s farm late on the afternoon of 6 October Slinger lived on a resettlement farm next to the farm of Eichhoff’s father Eichhoff said he shot at the animals because dogs – either on their own or accompanied by people – that enter his family’s farm to hunt animals had been a recurring problem at the farm in the past Eichhoff said he was in a state of shock and panic when he then decided to bury the man in a nearby aardvark burrow where he also placed the three dogs he had killed He owned up to a police officer and told him what had happened when the police came to his father’s farm two days after the fatal shooting He also argued that Eichhoff’s roots were in Namibia and that the magistrate who turned down his request to be granted bail did not have reasons to find that there was a likelihood that Eichhoff would abscond if released on bail Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef argued that the magistrate correctly found that there was a risk that Eichhoff would abscond if released on bail She also argued that the prosecution in fact had a strong case against Eichhoff and that his concern about his case could be a reason that could make him a flight risk if released on bail If Eichhoff was so irresponsible that he could dump Slinger’s body after the shooting then he could be equally irresponsible after being released on bail Eichhoff is due to make another appearance in the periodical Hochfeld Magistrate’s Court on 22 May BRANDON VAN WYKSIX thousand olive trees were left to die at a 3 900-hectare farm bought by the land reform ministry in the Otjozondjupa region The ministry bought Farm Hartebeesteich-Sud for N$17 million more than three years ago It is most likely that the farm was handed over to the Namibia Central Intelligence Services (NCIS) since it was one of those at the centre of a dispute between the agency and The Patriot newspaper in April 2018 The NCIS had to lodge urgent court action to prevent The Patriot from publishing a story on corruption around the agency’s properties with a few cattle roaming around on the premises but he refused to say precisely what the government was doing with the farm He also declined to give any contact details of someone who could shed more light on the government’s plans with the farm Nepandu insisted that there were workers on the property but informed the newspaper’s team not to speak to them as he does not like the workers talking to strangers without him being present on the farm who confirmed the transfer of ownership to the government was not willing to answer any further questions around the transaction last week said he was dismayed about the state of the olive trees Heiser had been growing the olive trees for about 25 years until the farm was transferred Farmers in the area have expressed shock at the state of the farm and questioned why the government bought it if the trees were left to die said the demise of the trees is a significant loss for the country “Those olives were distributed throughout Namibia and for the government to buy the property and let all those thousands of trees die just like that is a big tragedy for Namibia,” he stressed The Ministry of Land Reform has still not answered questions sent by on Tuesday last week According to a document from the Deeds Office the farm was transferred from Heiser to the government on 16 November 2015 The document further states that land reform minister Utoni Nujoma authorised the transfer of N$17 million The farm has also been the subject of speculation from some of the Hochfeld residents One man told that they don’t know what was happening on the property “We have never seen any workers on the farm ever since Heiser sold it,” one resident said “We have no idea what exactly is happening on that farm so we think that it’s a good thing that The Namibian is investigating the property,” another man said HOCHFELD area murder accused Karl Friedrich Eichhoff is due to hear near the end of November how the Prosecutor General intends to further pursue the case in which he has already spent almost a year in police custody who is charged with murdering a trespasser on his father’s farm and then hiding the man’s body in an aardvark burrow on 6 October last year made his latest appearance before a magistrate in the periodical Hochfeld Magistrate’s Court on Thursday last week The key decisions to be taken by the Prosecutor General are whether the police investigation of the case is completed satisfactorily on what charges Eichhoff would be prosecuted and in which court he would have to stand trial At this stage Eichhoff faces counts of murder and ill-treatment of animals in connection with an incident in which a resettlement farm resident was killed at the farm of Eichhoff’s father north-east of Hochfeld in the Okahandja district He told Magistrate Khaepriums Swartz that Slinger was shot accidentally when he fired four shots at a pack of dogs that he had found near a cattle post on his father’s farm late in the afternoon Eichhoff insisted that he did not see any person at the scene when he shot at the dogs He said he shot at the animals because dogs that entered his family’s farm to hunt animals had been a recurring problem He was shocked when he discovered an injured man lying groaning on the ground after he had gone closer to the spot where the dogs had been Eichhoff testified during the bail hearing I did not even know he was there,” he told the magistrate Eichhoff said he was in a state of shock and panic after the wounded man had died at the scene and he then decided to bury the man in a nearby aardvark burrow “I know it was a big mistake that I made there,” he testified about his decision to hide Slinger’s body he told a police officer what had happened Eichhoff has remained in police custody since his arrest on 8 October last year His application to be granted bail was refused in the Okahandja Magistrate’s Court and an appeal against that ruling was also dismissed in the Windhoek High Court in April this year