Christiaan Le Cordeur Rossouw was born on 21 September 1938 on the farm Vischkuil, Springs. He attended primary school at the farm school Stompiesfontein and secondary school at Hugenote Boys High School in Springs before moving on to the University of Pretoria where he obtained a formal tertiary qualification in agriculture.
Naubie, born on 3 June 1943 in Bloemfontein, also attended the University of Pretoria where she studied education. Chris and Naubie met at university. It was love at first sight and they married in 1963.
Having completed their studies, Chris initially poured his energy into the success of other farmers when he joined the Agricultural Advisory Services of the Department of Agriculture. Naubie taught Afrikaans and Mathematics at various schools. In 1964 Chris ceased his involvement with the Department of Agriculture. He and Naubie then started farming on a small rented property in the Delmas region of the Mpumalanga Highveld, then referred to as Transvaal. In 1968 they purchase their first farm, Strydpan. They were set to become official grain and dairy farmers and this was the beginning of a beautiful family legacy.