BRIGHT SPARKS
How unexpected inspiration sparked brilliant business ideas for two entrepreneurs
Hanneli van der Merwe says the idea for Barker and Quin was sparked during a business trip she had taken with her business partner, Chris Wium. (At the time, they were both working for a cork company.) ‘While we were wining and dining our clients in Portugal, I noticed how many G&T options were on offer. The craft gin market in South Africa was just taking off, but I couldn’t find quality, all-natural tonic waters locally.’
As the first woman to obtain a PhD in oenology (the science of winemaking) from the University of Stellenbosch, Hanneli wasn’t going to let that deter her – she simply decided to make one herself. After experimenting at home, Hanneli brought the tonic water she’d created (using a Sodastream to add the
‘The craft gin market in South Africa was just taking off, but I couldn’t find quality, all-natural tonic waters locally.’
bubbles) to the office; as soon as Chris tried it, he knew there was something there. They just needed someone with a background in gin to give it their blessing.
‘We needed an expert opinion, so we took it to Pete Gottgens at Asara Wine Estate, home to Sansibar Gin Lounge. After tasting it, he put in an order for 60 bottles a week right then and there!’
They accepted Pete’s offer, but they had a serious problem: there was no way they could produce that amount of tonic water in Hanneli’s kitchen. Fortunately, Hanneli ran into a friend who works at a flavour house, and they struck a deal.
Now well on their way to creating their first product, all Chris and Hanneli needed was a brand name. They came up with what they thought was a winning title – Green Fire. The design team working on their label, however, wasn’t convinced.
‘Haumann Smal Design Studio came up with three pages’ worth of suggestions and we both pointed to the same one: Barker and Quin.’ The name is derived from the main ingredient of tonic water: quinine. The design team then created a story around historical figure John Ross, introducing two new characters – a fox terrier named Barker and a parrot named Quin who accompanied him on his travels.
The brand was launched in August 2016, with their first offering: the Finest Indian Tonic. Barker and Quin uses only natural ingredients sourced from reliable, eco-friendly suppliers. Their tonics include quinine from the bark of cinchona trees, fresh mountain spring water from the Breede River Valley, pure sugar cane, zesty citrus extracts and Indian spices.
Hanneli and Chris were amazed at the response. Within eight weeks of producing their first batch, all 36000 bottles sold out. And once Chris asked a friend with a massive social media presence to share a few snaps of the beverage, word quickly spread. By September 2017, they'd both left their previous jobs to work full time on their passion project.
Their business journey hasn't been without trials. ‘When we were a small company we were doing our deliveries ourselves,' says Hanneli. ‘Now you have to rely on someone else who might not have the same priorities as you.' Another challenge, as with any partnership, is that you don't always agree on everything. When that happens, they either consult a group of like-minded friends and businesspeople or they talk it out.
Now, almost two and a half years later, they have added four new products to the range: the low-sugar tonic Light at Heart and three South African-inspired flavoured tonics – Marula, Hibiscus and Honeybush Orange. They export to 11 countries (England, Australia, Germany, Dubai, Belgium, Canada, Mozambique, Nigeria, Namibia, Sweden and Mauritius) and have created a non-alcoholic drink called John Ross.
Hanneli and Chris now have their sights set on opening a bottling branch in Melbourne, just to keep up with the demand there, and possibly the UK next. Back home, 2019 is all about making Barker and Quin HQ a gin destination. ‘We are planning on opening a tasting bar,' says Chris.
‘I've always been creative,' says Merewyn de Heer Rossouw. ‘That was my strength growing up.' Her company, Hellooow Handmade, manufactures bespoke chandeliers using hand-rolled beads, which are made from South African soil and dried in the sun. Women from the local Nottingham Road community in the Midlands in KwaZulu-Natal roll the beads in their homes, leaving slight impressions of their fingerprints on each one. The earthenware beads are then fired in a kiln, threaded onto wire and strung onto wrought-iron frames that sway from sturdy beams in the airy country factory.
All the women working here are affected by HIV in some way: they're either living with the disease or caring for infected and orphaned family members. Initially, Merewyn's mission was to employ only HIV-infected women but she quickly realised that in KZN, the weight of the disease is borne by the entire community.
‘The business is meant to create employment and specifically, to help women,' says Merewyn. ‘We decided never to work with wood or plastic beads because they don't create any employment for our people and they're also bad for the environment. We designed our product around the beads.'
Another plus is that the women can work from anywhere. ‘They can roll the beads at home. So they're not paying for transport. They can be sick, they can be in bed, and they can still roll beads and earn an income.'
The Hellooow team creates 12 different types of chandeliers in varying sizes and colour options. Once the beads, wrought-iron frame and electrics are completed, it takes four days to string the dyed beads onto the metal skeleton of a small chandelier. Finishing an extra-large chandelier takes a full 10 days. Then, they're shipped or airfreighted to customers, designers and retail chains within South Africa and beyond.
Hellooow specialises in lighting, homeware and jewellery. ‘I love bespoke work and I'm happy to design something specifically for my clients,' says Merewyn. ‘My passion is doing the one-offs and the gigantic pieces. They really are quite an accomplishment when you see them finished.'
Every chandelier is made to order. ‘If a customer is doing a grass-green wall and they want the chandelier in an adjoining room to have the same colour, they send us a swatch and we match it. We don't keep stock because people always want to customise pieces.'
Merewyn hasn't always felt this passionate about her work. She spent many years in the advertising industry building a successful agency of her own. ‘I wanted
a fresh start to use my talents in a way that came naturally to me. I missed getting my hands dirty. I signed up for a pottery course and that got me thinking.’
In 2009, Merewyn sold her shares in her business, bought a kiln and clay and started collaborating with the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust. ‘It was like soul food,’ she says. ‘I started off making ceramic crosses strung on velvet ribbons, then I put a range of jewellery together. That’s when I started rolling the beads.’
During preparations for Design Indaba 2010, she draped her necklaces over an illuminated custom-made frame. Noticing that the swags of beads looked like a chandelier, Merewyn designed a small light to add to her stand. It sold on the first day of Design Indaba. Unable to measure the response to the beaded chandelier concept (and having committed to a R500000 jewellery order),
‘All the women working here are affected by HIV in some way: they’re either living with the disease or caring for infected and orphaned family members.’
it was only the following year that Merewyn realised she had a winning product. ‘For the next Design Indaba I thought I’d do two chandeliers – from the reaction, I knew that was going to be the next big thing,’ she says.
‘We love what we do, and the fact that we are empowering other women at the same time makes it extra special.’