After six years of the required nurturing and care by Coenie and Hanene Van Dyk, the managers at Altima, their Truffler aka Clyde the Jack Russel sniffed out the 200gm truffle in the brulé of one of the inoculated oak trees. The Altima property is owned by Johann Rupert and is situated near his Elandskloof property near Villiersdorp.
According to Marda and Trevor, Woodford Truffles SA's dog trainers have been on the prowl for the elusive truffle for the past two years. Italian truffle guru, Prof Alessandra Zambonelli predicted the imminent appearance of truffles in the area after a thorough on-site root inspection of the orchard trees earlier this year, before it was discovered by Clyde's 'clever nose' in July.
In the future, the orchard will be monitored on a weekly basis until the end of the winter harvest season. This will be done by Clyde and his fellow furry companion, Bonnie, who will be joined by Zippy, the farm's latest addition.
