Made in the Cape: Championing all things local

45 local products from wine to decor + free gift wrapping

Last updated: 20 October 2023 

Here’s your opportunity to hear the stories behind local products: A carefully crafted gin, indigenous tea, wine, beauty products, decor, sweets and souvenirs. You can help build Cape Town’s local economy by purchasing directly from the local designer or producer this October. The Made in the Cape Market is not just a pop-up store, it’s a beautiful exhibition of 45 sustainably-crafted premium products.

Made in the Cape Market at V&A Waterfront. Image: Made in the Cape Market

THE BEST OF CAPE WINES

The nine-by-nine metre pop-up store allows visitors to journey from the Cape Wine section to the Cape Design and Cape Floral Kingdom corners in a circular layout. 

Each section has a unique aesthetic. The Cape Wine is a serene green, mimicking local iconic vineyards. There, you'll find and learn about wine brands like Carmen Stevens Wines, produced by the first black South African to graduate from the art of winemaking.   

A retail exhibit showcasing premium products. Image: Made in the Cape Market

GIN, TANNIE EVITA’S SWEETS & BOOKS

The Cape Floral Kingdom section offers a multicoloured display of products like the Two In A Bush Rooibos teas and cordials by the Franschhoek organic tea company. 

Adding to this section’s richness is Ugly Gin by Pienaar & Son, the affordable alternative to craft gin, and sweets brands like Khayelitsha Cookies and Darling Toffee, including the Tannie Evita Classic Toffee. 

The Cape Design corner draws inspiration from the Karoo, with soft tones of clay brown. The featured products include crochet plant holders from the H18 Foundation, a craft skills social upliftment programme, as well as Cape Town colouring books by illustrator Mieke van der Merwe.

The Market is one of the ways that Wesgro is assisting local exporters to gain traction in high visibility areas. Image: Made in the Cape Market

IT’S AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

The entire high-end space features small nooks in the walls, with miniature sets of old farmhouses from the Karoo and Winelands. Next to each display is a code you can scan to transform your phone screen into a moving picture showcasing the quality and creativity of the local work. 

Through augmented reality, you can see how these small enterprises make these local products and why the production location matters. You’ll learn everything from the precise time farmers harvest grapes to make MCC to how turning on the radio at night fends off jackals. 

It combines the physical and the visual with life-size products displayed next to the captivating scenes. Image: Made in the Cape Market

BEST OF WESTERN CAPE AT THE BEST LOCATION

The Made in the Cape Market, a concept created by the Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro), the official tourism, trade, and investment promotion agency for the Western Cape, is at the most-visited destination in Cape Town. 

At the V&A Waterfront, in the most central location, across from H&M and Havaianas. The market is strategically set in the V&A neighbourhood because the Waterfront historically sees up to two million visitors in October, giving local small enterprises maximum exposure. 

Made in the Cape Market is in the heart of V&A Waterfront’s shopping centre. Image: Made in the Cape Market

FOR LOCALS, BY LOCALS

Though the purpose of Made in the Cape Market is essential and the products premium, the goods are not as expensive as you might think. 

The wines range from R65 to R160 (limited edition bottles are R300), Khayelitsha Cookies in the Cape Floral Kingdom corner are R15, and you can even get your hands on ostrich eggs for R300. Locals are loving Darling Toffees, Two In A Bush Rooibos tea and Ma Mère sweets. The latter has already sold out. 

You can also purchase Made in the Cape t-shirts available in-store.. Image: Made in the Cape Market

AVAILABLE THIS OCTOBER ONLY

The store is open daily from 1 October to 29 October 2023 and has a gift-wrapping service. All 45 products are available year-round on Wesgro’s virtual trade managing and matchmaking platform. There’s over 1 000 exporters and close to 6 000 products and services on the Cape Trade Portal.

It’s open from 9am to 9pm. Image: Made in the Cape Market

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MADE IN THE CAPE

Made in the Cape is available: 1 October – 29 October

Trading hours: 9am to 9pm

Find it: V&A Waterfront (across H&M and Havaianas)

Contact on: capetradeportal.com

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