Madhams in Eden

(This was written in March 2013, just after the girls had opened their new emporium.  I'm delighted to report that Madhams and Mad Cows are both still going strong and, having taken Hoedspruit by storm, continue to surprise, enervate and innovate the town, it's residents and visitors.  Madhams is a must for a refreshment stop on your way through Hoedies.)

Better known for its game farms and luxury lodges, the safari bush haven of Hoedspruit in Limpopo is chewing up the funky food and quirky décor brought to town by the new cows in the Hoed! Tracy Brooks lassoed the lasses and reports back.

The story begins with a home and lodge decor business, MAD (Making A Difference) Cows, started in 2011 by creative and community conscious friends, Bianca Black and Clare Girardin.  

Bianca already had a furniture company TWAK (Trees with a Koncience), where she’d gained experience sourcing gifted community artists and craftspeople.  Further developing her skills to suit the market, TWAK exhibited at Design Indaba in Cape Town, sold items to the Anthropologie stores in London, and were also selected as one of the designers for the Boardmans ‘Welcome Home’ range.

The time came in late 2012 to set up a shop and the duo identified the farming town of Hoedspruit as being an ideal base from which to service the many luxury game farms and lodges in the area. 

And this is where it gets interesting!  According to Bianca, “ the word ‘No’ isn’t in Clare’s vocabulary,” so when coffee shop premises in the centre remained firmly untenanted, Clare seized the bull by the horns and decided that would be the MAD Cows next venture – Madhams, a distinctly unique and different coffee shop and deli! 

Clare’s experience in running Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge, one of the first properties in the world to achieve Fair Trade in Tourism accreditation, and setting up the Ribolla Arts Route in Venda positioned her perfectly to expand a community resourced decor business into a funky and trendy eatery.  In March, with the slogan ‘Mad about Good Food’ driving them, Madhams was calved, shaking up the safari vibe of a town better known for its air force base and game lodges than food and decor.

Another of Clare’s skills is the ability to find the best people for the job, and she roped in Lucy Blunt and Lisl Bennett to complete the energetic team.

Lucy,  a young chef making a name for herself in the ‘hoed as a tapas chef was delighted to be allowed to wear flat shoes in the kitchen and encouraged to demonstrate her quirky food ideas.   Lucy bought into the Madhams concept immediately and develops a new menu daily, depending on which fresh produce arrives at the door.  It was very amusing to see so many issues of Food & Home magazine neatly stacked on her table, used for menu inspiration and ideas!

Lisl Bennett, a local Naturopath, busies herself making her popular Green Juice; an alkalizing mix of spinach, celery, apples, lemon, ginger and cucumber, offering a powerful daily boost that regulars drop in especially for.  Lisl creates different daily juices and enthusiastically explains the benefits and ingredients in her Calcium Combo, or Stomach Soother.  “It’s important to get in as many vegetables as possible every day,” she says “I include three to four veges for every fruit, balancing the sugar.”

The passion for community involvement and upliftment, the driving force behind MAD Cows, carries through into Madhams.  In the brief time they’ve been open, Madhams has become one of Puro’s (a Fairtrade coffee company) biggest clients.  Cheeses and olives are sourced from local suppliers in Haenartsburg, and a farmer’s wife delivers an assortment of fresh breads daily.  Hlokomelo herb farm, a community income generator for a local AIDs initiative, supplies their herbs and is working closely with Madhams to extend the range of vegetables the farm grows and can sell to the shop. 

This is farming country, and the community has welcomed Madhams with open arms.  Boxes of pomegranates, organic lemons and avo’s arrive unexpectedly, freshly plucked off the tree.  The zany coffee shop seems to have spurred the farmers into an innovative barter system, so in return no more is asked for than a cappuccino or a request for their favourite items to be on the menu.

Ideas and future plans overflow from this lively, creative team.  A recent wine tasting was a smash hit and bookings for the next event, a Mozambican evening, with music, piri piri, prawns, pao, Portuguese wine and beer as well as entertainment for the kids, are rolling in.  Bianca is excited about hosting a coffee tasting and introducing their Fairtrade supplier, who’ll teach customers the difference between a cappuccino and a latte, and how to distinguish between a good cuppa and a bad one.

Ensure you take a little time out of your travels in this bushveld Eden to smell the coffee and herbs, listen to the soothing Cuban salsa and township jazz slipping from the sound system and after eating the delectable fresh and simple food, why not buy your recycled oak platter?  The perfect memento of an afternoon well spent!

www.htt.org.za

www.purocoffee.com

www.madcows.co.za

+27 15 001 7087

bianca@madcows.co.za / clare@madcows.co.za   

Both MAD Cows and Madhams are on Facebook