by Thomas Spronk | May 8, 2024 | Bags, News
If you cycle or drive around the Cape Peninsula, you know Scarborough’s The Village Hub and its small coffee stop outside. Whether you’ve visited once or come there regularly, you know the guys and girls who serve you with a smile and attentiveness, never too busy for a short chat.
One of these guys is Rodney, who, like so many people in South Africa, came to the country at 17 looking for a job and landed one. When you visit The Hub, chances are great he’ll be around working the coffee machine. Since coming to Cape Town, Rodney has been gaining knowledge about what it takes to run a small business and saving money to start his own.
Malawi is best known for its agriculture, exporting goods like sugarcane, tea, potatoes, and tobacco to the rest of the world. The country is also home to several distinct coffee-growing regions. According to CoffeeWDY, “Malawi primarily cultivates Arabica coffee, known for its superior quality and distinct flavor profiles. Arabica coffee plants thrive in the high-altitude regions of Malawi, benefiting from the cool temperatures and adequate rainfall that contribute to the development of nuanced flavors in the beans. While other varieties, such as Robusta, are grown in the country, Arabica remains the dominant and sought-after variety for its exceptional cup quality.”
Maloto
2023 has been a tough year. As Rodney is from Blantyre, his family was heavily affected by Hurricane Freddy in the beginning of 2023. An uncle and three of his nephews died in the disaster and the storm wiped out his livestock, meaning seven caws. Additionally, he lost his brother, who was staying with him in Cape Town, in a fatal accident.
Rodney’s hometown Salima is near Lake Malawi National Park. Located at the southern end of the great expanse of Lake Malawi, with its deep, clear waters and mountain backdrop, the national park is home to many hundreds of fish species, nearly all endemic. Its importance for the study of evolution is comparable to that of the finches of the Galapagos Islands (source: Unesco).
Next July, Rodney is planning on going back to make Maloto (The Dream) a reality: a coffee shop of his own. You can show your support by donating any amount to his fundraiser campaign. In the meantime we dream about riding to Malawi from South Africa to end up at Lake Malawi shores.
Photos by Milan Goldbach
With specials thanks to Rodney and The Village Hub, Scarborough (Cape Town).
by Thomas Spronk | Jul 12, 2023 | Bags
When Middle-East based collective WAASTAA asked us to produce custom bags and pins we were stoked, to say the least. WAASTAA is an online social and creative networking service that showcases creative work from across the globe. Their Instagram profile is one of our go-to places for inspiration and features some of the best photographers and artists. Based on their briefing we came up with two shoots to capture the Cape Town vibe in a WAASTAA kind of way.
Shoot 1: Polony Gasby
A “Polony Gasby”, previously a South African, lower-cost workers snack bought at corner stores on the way to work. More recently its making its way to the “foodie” radar with multiple variations being made at markets and speciality stores. Similar to Durbans “Bunny Chow” and Johannesburg’s “Kota”.The pickup is Pang’s Nissan 1400 “Bakkie”, which was manufactured in South Africa from 1971 to 2008. For many a vital tool for any small business owner in South Africa. It contributes to Pangs hustle, for example: Pang moves coffee machines between his store and the markets.
In this shoot we mix many favourite regional elements. A young talent, fueling up in the warm CPT light for the mission ahead.
Shoot 2: Chess
Beach and Inge met for the first time, had some coffee and played a game of chess in the cobble streets of Bo-Kaap. This is a popular culture reference from other movies and shoots and religious references (woman and man in front of a Mosque who do not follow islam but are covered up).
We witness people from different backgrounds and views sharing a moment for the first time and potentially the last time. This community predominantly follows Islam, which was imported to the country with Slavery. The history of the country dictates that people were segregated not only by their colour but Religion too. The layout remains to this day, thankfully there is a change and religion is no longer a dividing factor.
Model: Inge Beckmann
Inge is a South African Actress, been in hollywood films (Escape Room, Scorpion King), most recently featured on Netflix horror movie “8”, which is featured in South Africa at the moment. Some in Cape Town remember Inge from an awesome Band called “Lark” and “BEAST” from the early 2000’s. Since then it appears as if her venture into film and music never revelented.
We bumped into her at a coffee shop a few weeks ago and her vibe was also interesting, another example of Cape town vibes. Josefin asked her to join the shoot, they clicked, and we got these images in Bo-Kaap.
Model: BEACH BODY
Comedian (and Agency owner) half Kenyan, half South African. A friend of Pangs coffee store (also Pangs Photography) We made him eat a Vegan Gatsby a little too early in the day, so thanks for putting up with that. His general vibe is badass.
Photographer: Pang
Pang is a professional photographer based in Cape Town, Barista winner, coffee shop owner and overall a great guy
Shoots produced by Jos
Jos (Josefin) remains pretty low-profile. Behind the camera BTS from her Fujifilm x100v and iphone for evening shoot (safety). Has a lot of experience in Business Strategy and with Brands but wants to get into film as a Producer.
Art direction/concept: Dane Zijlstra & Pang.
Client: WAASTAA
