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 :)))