Measured by the purchasing power of festivalgoers and satisfied exhibitors, this year’s South African Cheese Festival has been dubbed as a huge success.
The festival, which took place from 30 April to 2 May 2022 at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch, was presented for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid-19 lockdown and its subsequent restrictions.
Attended by 6 000 people with visitors limited to 2 000 per day, festivalgoers were wowed by the more than 100 exhibitors’ creations.
Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo says, “We believe we have created innovative solutions to present a successful festival within the restrictive Covid-19 regulations that still apply to the event industry.”
Apart from the Stellenbosch venue, a pop-up festival was also held from 23 to 24 April at Groote Post outside Darling. This was attended by more than 3 000 people.
Exhibitor products flew of the shelves
Besides the exhibitors, there were a number of small cheesemakers who were invited to present their unique handmade products as part of the #SupportSmallCheeseMakers project. This was hosted in partnership with the Western Cape department of agriculture (WCDoA).
Organisers of the festival say that many exhibitors’ products sold out completely, with exceptional products flying off the shelves.
These included Zandam’s buffalo mozzarella, Jabulani Chigara’s dragon fruit, Klein River Cheese’s international award-winning mature Gruberg, Rockvale and Foxenburg’s goat’s milk cheeses, Tlaquepaque’s halloumi, Karootjie’s rosemary and red wine herb salt, as well as the Western Cape Honeybush Tea Cooperative’s teas.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the support,” says distiller Robyn Hartman of the brand new 9 Orphans Distillery.
“At the festival, we already sold half of our very first batch of 360 bottles each of our prickly pear gin and our Eikesap oak juice gin infused with acorns.”
Creating opportunities for small, big businesses
According to Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, this year’s festival was a big sign that the economy was getting back on track.
“We have to move forward, we cannot afford not to, especially for job creation. What better way than with a festival showcasing all our agricultural products, bringing people together and celebrating with music.
“This year’s pop-up SA Cheese Festival model is a chance that Agri-Expo took to get this important festival going again. Thank you to them for this new idea and what it means for the rural economy and spirit,” he says.
According to Ehlers it was wonderful for Agri-Expo to be able to contribute to the path of economic recovery of large and small businesses.
“The value of the SA Cheese Festival lies precisely in the platform created for businesses, from small entrepreneurs to national companies, to interact directly with consumers and introduce their products to a wider audience, as well as the many marketing opportunities that the festival offers,” he says.
The SA Cheese Festival will take place again next year over the long weekend from Saturday 29 April to Monday 1 May 2023.
Visit www.cheesefestival.co.za for more information or contact Agri-Expo at tel 021 975 4440 or admin@agriexpo.co.za.
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