With a little Help from my Friends, Family and fellow Nunabeings

Was just sending out invitations to the  “First Ever” Nunabean Shop Official opening :) 

Whilst writing the email I realised that I had not had time to sit down or stop even briefly to Thank everyone who has helped me along my little Journey with Nunabean, be it a small word of support or kindness, to investing time and money into helping me and all those who have purchased :) 

So a little time-out on my also neglected blog to say THANK YOU to ALL those who have seen me to this point, I am grateful and blessed to have you in my life.

What started off as a hobby, running free workshops teaching unemployed women to sew on the weekend, and feeling sooo excited and emotional posting off our first pair of Nunabean pram shoes :) Drawing up my first business plans, realising I am surrounded by experts in their field, some of who happen to be friends and family :) And all I needed was to ask for a little help...and hard daily grind and elbow grease, of course ;)

When I was doubting myself or what I was doing, kind words, support, advice and those who believed in my potential always pushed me one step further. And then I knew I can't give up but to see this through and see where it all goes... life is a journey :) 

Nunabean has grown organically and my learning graph is off the charts... no better life lessons like starting one's own business! And doing it right from the start... or at least TRYING! Learning about company registering and trademarking, bee certificates, HR, excel, Quickbooks, Sage Pastel... an infinity of information and processes to learn and implement!

Here a brief history of Nunabean to date with a few names who stood out, but not forgetting all those who surround me:

Starting around 2012, first a weekend hobby (with Judith who now runs the workshops and is my quality control) whilst still working in a full-time job (throwing in a part time business courses at UCT with my amazing mentors Max Kaizen and Elaine Rumboll); Advice from my inspiring, then neighbour and friend Anne Marie Bodal on making the product perfect and helping on the workshops; friends Guy Le Ray Cook and Sandy Da Silva on sculpting my first business plan; entering the web and social media with a single landing page to let the world know we exist (Thank You Guy Bedford), a mini website (Thank You Timothy Cuthbert) with a trade exchange for professional videography (Thanks You Nattie and Kim),  being found by my angels and their generous investment and belief in the Nunabean brand (Thank You Gareth Quin and Simon Bray and their team) who developed my fully self-operational e-commerce website, to a 1 month test retail space at the Redshed with the CCDI a couple of months ago.  And most importantly to my daily inspiration, the little Nuna herself. CFG, my brothers Dean and Martin, and always Mom and Dad.

Finally Nunabean is walking through the “retail” door! Excited to be part of the new V&A Watershed venture! We are now open 364 days a week, Sunday to Sunday, employ staff and have a full time credit card machine… all part of growing up :) The Nunabean brand has expanded and grown “little feet” of their own ;)

We are still "small", but watch this space :)

Hope to see you all at the opening!

Thursday, 30 October 2014, The Watershed, 17 Dock Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

The Watershed is open daily from 10am!

The launch Party next Thursday, 30 October 2014, starts 6pm till around 7.30. Come browse over 360 brands, have something to eat and drink… and please pop by Nunabean sharing the space with Lovely Stuff. We are stand F018… look for the kiddies section, close to the FIELDS coffee vendor.

There will be light entertainment and media coverage organised by the V&A… it should be a goody :)

Nunabean with MzansiStore Pop Up Shop at the Old Biscuit Mill

If you are an Aunt, Uncle, Friend or family, come visit the Nunabean Pop Up Shop at the vibrant Old Biscuit Mill this weekend, 26 July 2014, 9-2pm!
Eat, drink, listen to music, get the kids to fill some water buckets, and of course SHOP!

We will be showing a limited range of our products as part of the MzansiStore Saturday Pop Up Shop, so do come have a browse... and find that perfect and special baby shower gift to welcome the new little baby in your life! Also come "coo" at our hand-knitted organic cotton/bamboo jerseys and woolen  baby acorn-inspired beanies :)

Attaching some pics of our signature Nunabean Pram Shoes, perfect for the restaurateur-in-training, barista-in-training or chocolatier-in-training xxx

See you there this Saturday!

Come find us at the lovely loft style venue on the 2nd floor of the Old Biscuit Mill courtyard!

"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy local"

What is Nunabean love...

Just a short post before the weekend. Cape Town is a special place and our little family is lucky and grateful to live 2 minutes from the ocean. Yesterday we experienced the warmth of the winter sunshine, skipping into the sunset and serendipitously spotted a chalk drawn hearts on the pavement. This is also known as Nunabean love...

Nunabean is back!

Sorry we have not been blogging for a while. Being an entrepreneur these days means keeping up with all the different social media platforms: pinning on our Pinterest board, perfecting our Instagram pics, tweeting on Twitter and daily posting on Facebook... and still keeping up with the Nunabean Online Shop. And inbetween always product developing... We have added some stylish little toddler aprons (in cloud denim and schwe schwe) with an easy to wear cross-over back and a huge pocket to keep all those goodies in... will need to post pics in next blog post or go to www.nunabean.com to peruse a little...

Just to update you we are getting ready for the Kamers Market from the 5-8 June 2014... a first time at the historical Castle as a venue, a winter market with food, music and locals design, the biggest retail Pop-Up in South Africa. In collaboration with the CCDI (Cape Craft design Institute) and a WDCP (World Design Capital Project)! So this should be a goody NOT TO BE MISED...  So please come visit our Nunabean stall in the main retail section on the 2nd floor Stalls.... we are stall number 34 COME FIND US!!! Mention you read our blog to claim your dream button badge... and the password is "small feet big dreams"!

Our beautiful, ultra soft lambs leather has come to an end. But don't worry we still have a few of the lambs leather ones available! Come view our Special Edition range to be launched at the Kamers Market this 5-8 June 2014!

Bashews... a taste of Capetonian history

I was wondering what to do for our Shop Launch Party, and whilst Googling on the internet I came across the South African drink Bashews. http://brothers.bashew.com/


I have always known about Bashews, and seen it around. Not until I recently read a blog about the history, only then did I realise how iconic this brand is. I decided to go on an awesome adventure to find the original bottling company/factory, only to discover they had reverted to only doing sales and that the beautiful glass bottles I was keen to find had been discontinued bout 3 years ago and was replaced with plastic bottles wrapped in more plastic :(
The actual factory only sells the cooldrink, and gets a bottling company to do the rest!

Attached some pics of me roaming the Bashews factory...when I arrived in Maitland with Nabeelah and my gps, I was happy to find some original Bashew glass bottles and a few crates drying in the sun.
Then serendipity let Stanley, who has been with Bashews 20 years,  walk pass me. He pointed me to duck under the half open garage door, only to discover myself roaming amongst the last of the 6000 original glass Bashew bottles and original wooden crates! Stanley very enthusiastically helped me choose some of the most intact vintage crates and best bottles for our launch party. "This glass is unbreakable" he told me hammering a nail into one of the crates with a Bashew glass bottle!

Enjoy the pics...
I think Marshmallows and Bashews is on the menu for the launch party... anyone know anything interesting about marshmallows? :p

choosing the perfect Bashew bottle :)

year 1889 Glass and wood

year 2014 Covered in plastic and more plastic

Nunabean opens Shop :)

A small small humble space, but our first taste of retail, a wonderful experience and great exposure!
Thank You Cape Craft Design Institute and the V&A Redshed for the opportunity :)))

 

Wishing You a Magical 2014!

Where Mother Nature Meets Father Christmas

Come visit Nunabean at the Oranjezicht City Farm Gift Market!
Look out for our table on Friday 13 December!

Come and see Santa's Baby Acorn Caps and Santa's Little Helper Pram shoes :)

"Our Madiba"- Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918-2013)

One of my favourite pics of Our Madiba.
We are saddened by your passing, and at the same time celebrate and honour the life you led.
We pay tribute to a great leader and beautiful human being.

With love
ant & the Nunabean team

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

Nunabean at the Oranjezicht City Farm on Heritage Day, 24 September 2013

"One of the wonderful things about spring is the possibility of eating, cooking, chatting and relaxing outside as much as possible, with family and friends, laughter and children. Heritage Day in the Park is as much a source for locally produced speciality goods, as it is a meeting point to enjoy community, swap ideas and stories, and be educated about what we buy and eat by going directly to the source. 

This is the moment to show the people of Cape Town what fine-food purveyors, bakers and grocers we have in our City. We anticipate over 2 500 – 3 000 people on the day, perhaps more if the weather is excellent. The programme of entertainment is as good as ever with bands, petting zoos, birds, jazz, historical walks and more. 

All funds raised play a big part in helping OH Watch fulfill its mandate in keeping our area safe.This year, we have the added attraction of the Oranjezicht City Farm (www.ozcf.co.za) that has been transformed from a disused bowling green into a vibrant, beautiful, and nourishing Farm with active participation by those in the community and beyond." Sheryl Ozinsky/Organiser for the Heritage Day Market

Sprouting our limited edition Nunabean Baby Acorn Caps

Not only a celebration for my Dad's 79th birthday,  but a special occasion to have all the "kids" and the grandkids back in our family home where carefree memories of childhood still linger... pool parties and ice cream, thunderstorms and sunshine and in our later years...chasing pink flamingoes.

This time, I had the pleasure of hanging with my 2 year old daughter and my 9 year old nephew at the local park picking up seed pods... hopefully now a happy memory to file for them too :)

Herewith some quick Instagram pics of our limited edition, hand-crafted Acorn caps made from 100% aran wool, handspun in the Eastern Cape... inspired by playful walks in the park and of course, the acorn :) Granny Mabel does it again... no pattern, just pure craftmanship!

And if you want one of these unique hand-knitted Nunabean Baby Acorn Caps, before they are sold out, come visit us at our Online Shop www.nunabean.co.za... or contact us to place an order :)

Nunabean at play with The Shoestring Collective

Yay our first retailer, as of today :) Definitely a retailer-in-training!
Gosh its been hard, getting to the correct price points to make Nunabeans affordable to South Africans. We have been only online thus far, with a little help from our BabyMe aAngels, our e-commerce site is happily up and running... but sales are slow and more work needs to be done!

We are ecstatic to announce that we are now in store at The Shoestring Collective, in Gardens Centre.
Come look, feel "cooo and ahh" at our soft and cosy shoes! Once you have purchased a pair, choose from one of our over 250 dreams to customise your already unique pair of hand-stitched baby shoes!

Come find us! Buy and support local, Proudly Made in South Africa :)))

95 posters for Madiba

Nunabean loves our fellow South Africans, and wants to congratulate the organisers of the Mandela Poster Project! Celebrating Mandela's 95 years, 700 posters were collected over 60 days, honouring Madiba's lifelong contribution to humanity... the stuff legends are made of!
Nunabean wants to thank all fellow South Africans, and the angels who walk amongst us :)
Here a small badge with a huge dream and big legendary person to fill these Nunabeans ...

King of England in Training

On the 22 of July 2013 the world welcomed the arrival of a new little prince.
Congratulations from Nunabean to Will, Kate and the third in line, King of England – in training, of course! :)

Now if only we could find a way to those cute royal feet of yours, as Nunabeans are soft, warm, made from the best materials and hand-stitched with love, and definitely fit for a king!

Nunabean's new schwe-schwe bags

The original Nunabean in her jerseys :)

Jerseys...just like Granny use to knit them :)

hand knitted Nunabean jerseys



Beautiful, pure aran wool, hand spun in our very own Eastern Cape!


A month ago I was visiting my folks back in Kimberley (aka the "Groot Gat"), my home town where it feels like I grew up many eons ago, spending time at the Nazereth House, filling jam jars, learning to embroider and crochet. This time I returned to Kimberley to find Nazereth House was no more :( I wondered what happened to all the old folk?! Are they now being looked after by their own families, how it is was done in the old days where we experienced life and death in ones home. Now days we are born in hospitals and die in old age homes.

This is a trial and test... my next project to involve those dear one's often forgotten or neglected, often with skills and wisdom naturally accumulated over the years. Our retired and older folk :)

I tried asking my Aunt who orignally taught me to knit, to make up some samples for me, she said her eyes had deteriorated and would not be able to...so where else would I find some retired or older folk looking for a little extra income? Eventually, with a little pestering, my cousins wife suggested her mum who is retired, but still knits for her grandkids and sometimes the local fetes and bazaars for extra income...perfect :)

Here some pics of our first samples of exquisitely hand-knitted-with-love nunabean jerseys... in tamarind blocks and pure aran wool :) So perfectly knitted we couldn't tell the inside from the outside and even sewed the label on the wrong side ;P
Please send us your thoughts!

with love the nunabean team

Our sprouting new website :)

And Nunabean is sprouting again :) Come and visit our new look website at www.nunabean.com
Check out our Schwe-schwe bags, our freshly branded buttons and our new addition of beautifully hand-knitted jerseys, just like grandma use to :)

A humungus Thank You to our new partners in crime: Gareth, Simon, Jaco & Tanya for Nunabeans new look, marketing and sales work! We have made some exciting sales and connections since our new website has gone live 2 weeks ago! Also a huge thank you to our photographer, Charl, for the gorgeous photography! And always the Nunabean team, for all the their hard work, making this project possible :)

I have just come back from a short sabbatical in Asia, only to return more in love with South Africa, the amazing people we have in our midst and the clean fresh air that surrounds us. We take for granted being able to eat fresh, tasty fruit and vegetables, meat that is not contaminated and knowing the ground from which it grows. And also a mention regarding the rationing of baby milk powder in Europe, as suppliers are having to satisfy the demand in China.

A note to our fellow Nunabeings, to continue to support local and stay natural.

with love from ant and the Nunabean team

Here, to share with you some inspirational Nunabean pram shoes, from our sprouting new website...

Nunabean wishes for an amazing 2013 :)

Nunabean at play with Blueblossom

And not forgetting Nunabean! Blueblossom's 100% linen range and Nunabean happily sat side by side at The Cavendish Made-In-The-Cape Xmas Market.

Nunabean slowly working it's way through the branding... shoes done, bags half way there and then branding of all the dream buttons, stickers next and the launch of the new website :) Slowly slowly we get there... and inbetween launching that exciting blueblossom project!

3 Table moves later and lugging and packing and unpacking on the first day, we finally were settled in a better location... for all those craftmakerters... sales is all about location, location, location!

Thanks Jen for all the friendship and fabulous hard work into the early hours of the morning and being able to dream a little dream! 

Just looking at what one CAN achieve in 2 weeks and if one puts ones mind to something, much can be achieved! Whoopdehoop :) Here's to "woven moonlight" and beyond!