Fresh strawberries up for grabs
The public is invited to this year's Ballito Strawberry Festival on Saturday.
THE first-ever Ballito Strawberry Festival takes place at Cappeny Estates on Saturday, 26 September.
The one-of-a-kind strawberry farm belongs to Xolani and Yoliswa Gumede, a couple with berry-normous courage and vision.
“We are first generation farmers and started our urban farm three years ago from scratch. We are continuously refining our systems to make sure we deliver consistent high quality strawberries, which is incredibly exciting, but challenging,” said Yoliswa, the marketing executive of Cappeny Estates.
The 17 hectare property produces up to 2 000 punnets a day, which they supply to retailers, the hospitality industry and local farmers markets. Their strawberries will soon be leaping onto the global stage, as they are Global GAP certified, meaning they can export to anywhere in the world.
The Gumedes are excited to invite locals and tourists to be part of the strawberry celebration, which offers a variety of activities. “We wanted to ensure that there is something appealing for everyone in the family, so we have pulled out all the stops,” said Yoliswa. Besides picking the heart-shaped treats, you can also get creative in the crazy hat competition or be inspired by food art concept works by the acclaimed chef and food writer, Mpume Mqwebu of Africa meets Europe Cuisine.
For those with a big appetite, the strawberry eating contest will be a juicy challenge.
Clover will be the “official cream” of the Ballito Strawberry Festival and SABC 3's Clover Little Big Cook-off judge and chef, Coco Fathi Reinarhz, will be creating signature dishes using strawberries.
Fine wine connoisseurs can enjoy wine and strawberry pairing, while beer lovers can look forward to a strawberry inspired craft beer, which will be produced for the day.
Dads, you will not miss the rugby, as a live screening of the Springboks vs Samoa Rugby World Cup game will be showing.
The festival runs from 8am until 8pm and tickets are available at Computicket at a cost of R80 for entrance.
An additional R50 is charged for berry-picking, should you wish to do so. There will be ample parking available.
Contact Yoliswa Gumede at Cappeny Estates on 032 815 1168 or email: festival@cappenyestates.com
