Heike Pander, a German artist who paints baobabs, visited me over the weekend. She is passionate about baobabs and will be exhibiting some of her baobab art along with her other paintings later on in the year in Germany. She says “my enthusiasm for the marvelous and enthralling nature of Africa has grown steadily. I am not only a fan of the […] Continue Reading
Wow! It’s been tough choosing winners, people! So many great comments – so first of all a big THANK YOU to all of you for participating. It’s been wonderful to hear from each and every one of you and we’re grateful for your input. It gives us a very good idea of the kind of skin problems people are experiencing. We […] Continue Reading
I thought you might like to see this video interview I did with Johrne van Huyssteen. This video was made for De Kat TV. Have a look at it here. http://buff.ly/1b3mrqS
This week I did my annual trip to Skelmwater. This is a baobab research plot situated near Musina long the N1. Skelmwater was established in 1930 by the late Professor de Villiers of Stellenbosch University. The aim was to measure the rate of growth of baobabs in their natural environment. Despite the small number of baobabs in the plot, the […] Continue Reading
For all you cycling fans out there, if you’re in Louis Trichardt this weekend, do stop by and check out the Kremetart Cycle Tour – so named because the route goes past a significant number of Baobab Trees on the way. It’s fun for the whole family (there are kiddies races, stage races and mountain bike cross country) and is […] Continue Reading
After our community workshop on Monday, my manager Colly started visiting the villages to buy our first fruit for the season. The fruit are packed into bags then loaded onto our pick-up and trailer. Each women is paid on delivery, so that she does not have to wait for payment. The bags of fruit are transported back to our factory in […] Continue Reading
I'm really pleased to announce that my article on my scientific research findings regarding the sustainability of the Baobab Tree population has been recently published in the science journal Forest Ecology and Management. This journal has a very rigorous selection process and acceptance is based on relevance, whether your article can demonstrate a genuine contribution to scientific knowledge, originality and […] Continue Reading
How could we not like this beautiful gold hand crafted pendant of a baobab tree? We also really like the concept of Precious Earth Jewelers who only use recycled previous metals to reduce the impact of mining on the earth's surface. Their eco-conscious jewelry feature's Precous Earth's trade mark is a single "little green gemstone" of imperial chrome diopside, a conflict-free and […] Continue Reading
This week we had our first collection workshop for the year. It was a beautiful crisp winter morning. When we headed out it was very early and the dew still hung on the baobab leaves. Everybody was in high spirits for the start of the collection season. Baobab fruit have started to ripen and drop off the trees and the women […] Continue Reading
The Baobab tree inspires so much in the world! So why would you be surprised that there's a legendary Senegalese band out there called Orchestra Baobab? Orchestra Baobab was formed in Dakar in 1970 when a group of Senegalese decided to create an intimate club where they could meet with their friends. They fashioned its walls and ceilings to resemble […] Continue Reading