South Africa’s 2025 Boerewors Champion crowned: Meet the winner from Paarl
Few things are as quintessentially South African as a boerewors roll sizzling on the braai, and this year one man’s recipe has earned him the ultimate title.
Roberto-Rui Agrela, a 33-year-old car salesman from Paarl, has been crowned the 2025 Boerewors Champion, beating more than 2 350 hopefuls in the 33rd South African Championship Boerewors competition.
The finale, judged by the South African Chefs Association, saw every detail of the finalists’ freshly made and braaied boerewors scrutinised.
For Agrela, the journey was nerve-racking. He admits he was overwhelmed when he made it into the top 10 and spent weeks leading up to the big day perfecting his recipe and braai skills.
“I can’t believe I’m the winner,” he said. “It was my first time entering, and I never in my wildest dreams thought that my passion for braai would bring me here. It just shows that you must stay true to yourself, keep believing, and always stay humble.”
Alongside the coveted bragging rights, Agrela drove away with a Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB AT and R20 000 in cash.
The Top 10 line-up reflected the competition’s nationwide appeal, with finalists hailing from De Aar, Swellendam, Ladysmith, the Boland and Benoni.
Second place went to 47-year-old Roland Blaauw, an Application Support Specialist from Wellington, while third was awarded to Ladysmith entrepreneur Asheel Beharie (40).
Agrela’s winning recipe will soon be available to the public, with Shoprite and Checkers stocking the champion boerewors from 5 September, just in time for Heritage Month.
The scale of South Africans’ love for wors is staggering: last year alone, Championship Boerewors fans bought enough to make 56 million boerewors rolls, stretching 8 393 km, far enough to reach from Cape Town to Austria.
The other top 10 finalists were:
- Ayanda Dyanse – Butcher at the Shoprite Humansdorp, Eastern Cape
- Emmerencia Pretorius – Rescue technician, Swellendam, Western Cape
- Keani van Drimmelen – Human resources and finance, Benoni, Gauteng
- Niekie Horn – Administrator at a safe house, De Aar, Northern Cape
- Thandanani Buthelezi – Barista, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
- Tyron Adams – Chef, Wellington, Western Cape
- Xavier Blaauw – Matric learner, Wellington, Western Cape
IOL Lifestyle