Having helped his dad tend his tomato patch in Cape Town’s southern suburbs, Wesley Soule (29) thought he’d mastered the art of gardening. “I managed to do really well with very little and the plants thrived,” he says. “Then I put fertiliser down and killed everything.”

That experience was the beginning of a quest for understanding soil health and sustainable practices. Wesley qualified as a teacher, graduating with a BEd in 2019. As a student, he flexed his entrepreneurial muscles and launched a successful tutoring business.

When Covid interrupted his international travel plans for 2020, he devoted his time to learning more about regenerative farming. He discovered the Soil Food Web, an educational online platform about composting, identifying soil organisms and helping farmers turn their waste streams into bio-stimulants or fertilisers. It was a defining moment in his career. “The Soil Food Web changed the course of my life,” he says.

After obtaining his Soil Food Web certification, Wesley founded SoilScopes in 2022. The company provides comprehensive soil sampling services with detailed analyses of a soil sample’s microbial composition. This involved setting up a soil analysis laboratory complete with specialised equipment. Today SoilScopes employs a full-time laboratory assistant and recently won a grant for climate-smart agriculture that will allow it to expand into carbon testing services.

It’s another step towards realising Wesley’s vision of establishing a system of sustainable agriculture that will make agribusinesses more resilient and independent – not just in terms of production, but also financially. The successive major disruptions of the global market since 2020 have only underscored this need.

He describes having his own business and working for himself as the most rewarding thing he’s ever done. SoilScopes allows him to pour his heart and soul into something he believes in. “I’ve found something that I like to teach and an audience who really wants to learn,” he says.

His business model is aligned with the wine industry as producers tend to invest in their soil and terroir. Wesley has worked with prestigious names in the business such as Stark Condé, Waterford Estate and Klein Constantia. “I never thought I’d be able to advise them on anything, but my skillset has given me a seat at the table with people who are very knowledgeable in viticulture,” he says. “It was encouraging to realise I have something worthwhile to contribute.”

Challenging convention isn’t easy. A large part of his work is about being patient and practical while pushing the envelope, not just of the system but also of what people can imagine. “I love my job and feel there’s a purpose behind changing agriculture systems to more sustainable methods,” he says.

Coming from an education background, Wesley has offered lectures, workshops and presentations, and has been encouraged by the growing interest in regenerative practices, which presents future generations with a viable opportunity to join the industry. “There’s a lot of soil to fix,” he says. “Soil is your greatest ally in farming, and if you’re fighting against it, you’re only bringing in external factors that work against what your wine stands for. Fortunately, wine producers already understand there’s something special about soil and they strive to bring out the best in it.”

Rapid fire Q&A

Red, white or bubbles? Red all the way.

One thing that always makes you laugh? Learning about Afrikaans culture, especially the funny moments where things get lost in translation.

Who in the wine world inspires you the most? Tyrrell Myburgh, winemaker and general manager at Joostenberg Estate; David van Schalkwyk, the viticulturist at Waterford Estate; and especially the late Dr Elaine Ingham, founder of the Soil Food Web. Not many people know about her, but she changed my life.

Your hidden talent outside of wine? Fitting into the agricultural sector.

One word that describes the SA wine industry? Dynamic.

Social media

Instagram:@soilscopesFacebook: SoilScopesLinkedIn: Wesley Soule