Belnori Boutique Cheesery
Dairy
The Belnori Boutique Cheesery is situated on a fifteen-acre Black Wattle plantation belonging to Norman and Rina Belcher in Bapsfontein.
For some time they’ve been producing artisan cheeses from their goat herd and more recently making cheese with 100% full-fat jersey cow’s milk, as well as exciting cow/goat combinations. The results are astounding and this humble farm produces something that is truly world-class.
Since their inception into the SA dairy awards in 2004 with two second-places from the milk of their seven goats, they have managed 68 SA Champion Cheeses and 24 medals at the World Cheese Awards.
Afrikoa Chocolate
Confectionery
Award-winning chocolate. Made in Africa.
While almost two-thirds of the world’s cocoa beans are harvested from African soil, most of it is exported to Europe and America where it is turned into chocolate before being returned to our shores.
Afrikoa believes in developing the art of chocolate-making within Africa, using the continent’s rich resources and supporting farmers and their local communities. Afrikoa’s promise is that its chocolate will always be made in Africa, using cocoa beans that have never left the continent.
Combining only the finest naturally-grown, organic, heirloom cocoa beans with locally-grown unrefined cane sugar to create its range of chocolates – Afrikoa’s products contain no gluten, soy, GMOs, palm oil, artificial flavourings or colourings.
The Real Food Company
Charcuterie
Master charcutiere and well-rounded chef Jeremy Freemantle has been a friend and mentor to chef Solon since he was young. He has a far-reaching understanding of the culinary world and above all is a passionate teacher. As well as many other culinary ventures, The Real Food Company in Prince Albert specialises in producing a variety of charcuterie for the Sol’s brand.
The provenance of the Karoo pork that is used is of significant importance. The drove is reared on the Gay’s guernsey dairy farm and blessed with an unmistakable sweetness after being fed on excess whey from the cheesemaking process. A great symbiosis exists between our suppliers.
Jeremy puts his love and passion into creating a respectful and fitting tribute to the pigs, the dry Karoo air and time do the rest. His approach is simple, hand-made and real!
Two Dam Trout
Fishery
Artisanal rainbow trout delicacies farmed on a carbon-neutral, sustainably-run and eco-friendly farm outside Montagu.
Two Dam Sustainable is situated on a farm that runs almost exclusively courtesy of renewable energy and is 100% off-the-grid. They strive towards uncompromised sustainability in their day-to-day lives and in all fields of their farming and operational practices.
Two Dam offers a range of top-quality artisanal trout products which are tailored with love, care and a subtle oak smoked finish. Trout offers the perfect local alternative to salmon-based products and is a SASSI green listed species.
Gay's Guernsey Dairy
Dairy
Gay van Hasselt started what is now known as Gay’s Guernsey Dairy in 1990 when she started milking three cows in a stone kraal. She soon discovered that there was a demand for fresh milk in the community and started selling to a few customers who would arrive with their empty containers and get their daily supply of milk and later cheeses and yoghurt.
Situated in Prince Albert in the Karoo, the dairy has become an institution and a meeting point for locals and visitors to come together, enjoy fabulous handmade dairy products and get a real taste of farm life. All the products are made using full-cream, raw guernsey milk from the Van Hasselt’s own herd of cows. Gay believes that the core of her success lies in the quality of the raw milk that they use, making the products deliciously creamy, and steeped in natural flavour. The family and staff of Gay’s Dairy place a huge emphasis on their herd of free ranging, happy Guernsey cows.
Gay’s persistence has paid off, and after winning numerous international awards in London, Dublin and France, her cheeses are now known across the country and the world.
Cream of the Crop
Dairy
Cream of the crop butter is made from milk from grass fed, free-ranging Jersey cows from the Langvallei farm in Robertson.
The sweet cream is cultured with live lactic cultures for 3 days. It becomes thick and tangy like creme fraiche and this is when it is churned.
They wash the butter in buttermilk instead of fresh water to enhance the flavour of the butter. West coast sea salt is added while shaping.Butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows is higher in many nutrients, including vitamins E and A, beta carotene and essential fatty acids.
Ma Mère
Confectionery
Ma Mere is a candy-loving confectionary, offering a collection of gourmet and outrageously delicious nougats, fudges, macarons, brittles, marshmallow and Turkish delights.
All Ma Mere’s products are made in the traditional way, in a slow and precise manner, for an authentic tasting product that evokes nostalgia.
They use locally produced ingredients from local suppliers who have ethical and sustainable business practices, one of their business philosophies being to support other small entrepreneurs.
Prince Albert Olives
Olive Oil & Antipasti
Fred Badenhorst and his son Hein continue the tradition of a long line of farmers in a family who have lived off the Karoo soil and its bounty for generations. They saw that the unique microclimate of the Prince Albert district was producing beautiful figs, grapes, pomegranates and citrus – and realised that olives would be a natural fit.
They followed international practice to establish orchards and continue to harvest and process the fruit according to these high standards to this day.
The Badenhorst farm has a variety of Frantoio, Coratina, Favolosa, Kalamata and Manzanilla olives, which are used for their Karoo olive oil blend. They also brine Kalamata and Manzanilla olives as wonderful eating olives.
Weltevrede Fig Farm
Preserves
Weltevrede is one of the oldest fig farms in South Africa. It started out as a fruit drying farm: drying peaches, apricots and figs.
Today they have about 2000 trees and sell dried, fresh and bottled figs. They farm mainly with Adam Figs, a big purple fig, excellent for drying and selling fresh. They use the tiny Cape Brown figs for making Green Fig Preserve and other fig products.
This range of preserves speaks to its Karoo heritage and cape tradition.
Kokerboom Kaas
Cheese
This small boutique cheesery is named after the 100-year-old Kokerboom that lives in Cheesemaker David Malan’s front garden. This Velddrif based cheesery is a fantastic display of the cheesemaking potential of the region.
Kokerboom’s mission has been to create a small range of cheeses that one couldn’t get at a local supermarket, whilst adding that local flair. Interestingly, all their cheeses are named after the majestic creatures and flora that live up the west coast.
Specific to their cheesemaking, Kokerboom’s mils comes from 22 champion Golden Guernsey milking cows only as well as local west coast Khoisan salt which is rich in beta-keratin. Kokerboom cheeses are elegant, excel immensely with age and bring gravitas to any cheese board or harvest table.
Rozendal
Vinegars
At Rozendal they follow the traditional French Orleans method of vinegar making. Vinegar is made from a blend of red wine cultivars and activated by an indigenous “mother” culture originating from the farm’s first vinegar of 1988.
The balsam is naturally fermented in small oak barrels, the outcome perfected by extended oak maturation over a 12 year solera system. The result is a Balsamic-style vinegar; balanced in sweetness and acidity and offering a robust tonic and chef’s essential.
But the real character of this vinegar range lies in the botanical infusions, carefully selected for their culinary and health-enhancing properties.