Food & culture tour, South Africa

Planet

South Africa has a conservation culture and from the start, we encourage our guests to join us in our efforts to ensure the preservation of water, save energy and respect our natural environment. We share tips in our Pre-Trip Guide which we send guests before departure.

Together with our partners, we are conscious of our impact on the environment. We carefully select our suppliers to provide locally sourced products. The welcome gift to our guests is made from recycled material by two local women. Our accommodation partners on this tour and all our tours are actively making an impact in their communities. To minimise our carbon footprint, we have incorporated walking tours. Guests will learn about the culture and enjoy the food at the same place, supporting small local businesses.

From solar power to water usage, we build our initiatives on sustainability. Glass water bottles are used in the restaurant and tasting room on the wine estate. They use compostable cardboard takeaway containers in the restaurant and biodegradable straws to be used. There is a recycling sorting plant on site to separate glass (wine bottles), cardboard (wine boxes) and paper (office paper) for recycling. The estate makes its own compost on-site for the gardens.

People

We have co-designed this food tour to tell the stories of the local people, many of whom have been marginalized. This tour returns dignity and respect to ordinary people, including the indigenous community which has been overlooked. We have created a platform for wonderful food and life stories to be told in an authentic way. We focus on food entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Cape Town area. We have partnered with a wine farm foundation that offers learning experiences to disadvantaged and abused women, who have no source of income. These women receive training to produce and maintain their own vegetable crops. The vegetable gardens not only provide a sustainable primary source of nourishment for themselves and their dependents but also form a meeting point where women with similar and different life experiences can connect and share with one another and learn entrepreneurial skills to help them live a self-sufficient life.

On this tour, we will give 5% towards the community initiative that teaches young people with special needs, cooking skills in the Drakenstein municipality.