Fast, simple business funding for agri & food

Pumpkn lends to South African food and agricultural SMEs that are CIPC-registered (private companies, not sole proprietors), have a business bank account, and have at least R1m in annual turnover (or R85,000/month). Food manufacturers need 1+ year of trading; agricultural businesses (farming excl. grains and maize, produce aggregation, light processing) need 3+ years. The applying director must be a South African citizen; otherwise a citizen director or guarantor is required.

Each director's ID and proof of address, the business's CIPC registration document and proof of address, and 6 months of business bank statements (12 months for loans above R500,000). For contract or invoice financing, share the offtake agreement, retailer PO, or aggregation supply contract. Management accounts are enough — audited financials are not required.

Pumpkn provides short-term working capital up to R5 million for established food and agricultural SMEs. Funds are paid directly to your suppliers.

Pumpkn's headline product is short-term working capital for established food and agricultural SMEs — inputs, stock, raw materials, packaging, and bridging retailer or offtake payment cycles. We don't offer grants, fund pre-revenue start-ups, finance land purchases, or take on distressed/rescue lending. For movable assets, contact us and we will assist you through one of our partners.

Pumpkn returns a preliminary decision within 48 hours of receiving your application. Once full documentation is reviewed and the facility is approved, funds are disbursed within 5 business days — paid directly to your suppliers, not into your account.

Yes. AG-Digital Ventures (Pty) Ltd, trading as Pumpkn, is registered with the National Credit Regulator under NCRCP18413.

Pumpkn lends only to South African food and agricultural SMEs. Lula, Bridgement and Merchant Capital are sector-agnostic — they fund any SME that meets their turnover floor. Pumpkn's underwriting reads how a farm or manufacturer actually runs (cycles, offtakes, retailer settlement windows), and Pumpkn pays your suppliers directly rather than depositing into your account.

Development banks (like South Africa's Land Bank) serve commercial farms, capex, land purchases, and concessional / blended-finance programmes — they're designed for long-horizon, large-ticket development finance. Pumpkn is a non-bank private lender whose headline product is short-term working capital for established food and agri SMEs. For movable assets, contact us and we will assist you through one of our partners.

Pumpkn working capital facilities go up to R5,000,000. The right size for your business depends on cash flow, trading history and the use of funds.

No. Pumpkn's underwriting is character- and cashflow-first — we read your bank statements, your operating history, and your supply relationships, not your asset register. You do not need to pledge land, equipment, or property to apply.

Pumpkn charges a 2% origination fee on the principal for first-time clients, plus an indicative interest charge of 3% per month. Your final rate depends on your risk profile and is confirmed in a non-binding offer. Representative example: On a R250,000 facility over 6 months for a first-time client, the 2% origination fee (R5,000) is added to your loan balance, bringing it to R255,000. You repay that over 6 monthly instalments of R47,072 each, with 3% per month interest on the reducing balance. Total repayment: R282,430. Total cost of credit: R32,430 — the R5,000 origination fee plus R27,430 in interest over the term. T&Cs apply; this is an illustrative example only and not a credit offer.

No. Pumpkn is a non-bank, NCR-registered private lender. We do not take deposits and we are not a chartered bank — we provide short-term working capital to SMEs.

No. Pumpkn requires the business to be registered with CIPC as a private company (Pty) Ltd. Sole proprietors and informal traders are not eligible.

Pumpkn complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Our Information Officer is Zaheer Dindar, registered with the Information Regulator and reachable at compliance@pumpkn.io. Data we collect is encrypted in transit and at rest; analytics and marketing cookies load only after explicit consent; we do not sell personal data. See our Privacy Policy for the full POPIA disclosure.

Talk to us early. We restructure ahead of default whenever possible, because forced collection helps no one. Late or missed payments do attract additional fees and may be reported to the credit bureaus per the National Credit Act.

Unfortunately the applying director must be a South African citizen. If you are not a South African citizen but another director is, please ask them to apply on behalf of your company. Alternatively, you'll be required to have a guarantor. This ensures we can provide you with the right funding to help your business thrive.