CONTRIBUTORS:
GRIET DU PLESSIS | EDITOR
Griet describes herself as a facilitator for telling other people’s stories. After graduating at Stellenbosch University, she honed her communication skills for 10 years in Namibia, Mauritius and UAE. Upon returning to South Africa, she worked along with a team that developed one of SA’s largest agricultural brand identities. This experience, combined with her background as a farmer’s daughter, nurtured her commitment to and concern for the challenges and choices facing those raising crops and livestock, the salt of the earth. She is dedicated to their narrative.
HEIN EKSTEEN | WRITER
Hein is a wandering collector of stories who lives by the words of Lee Marvin in Paint Your Wagon, “I’ve never seen a sight that didn’t look better looking back.” He was born and bred in the Western Cape, but criss-crosses Southern Africa in this quest.
MICHEL DEI-CONT | PHOTOGRAPHER
It was at a tender age that Michel started to develop his passion for photography. Although his career started on the editorial side, later expanding to gathering images of sport and landscapes. This diverse training gave him the opportunity to photograph some of South Africa’s most spectacular scenes. Each new assignment he participates in, presents a new challenge that stimulates his imagination. The potential to enrich the viewer’s life drives him to capture the perfect image.
RENE LOTTER | SKRYWER
Na dekades as ‘n televisie-nuusvervaardiger, koerant-skrywer en sosiale media redakteur, spits René haar tans toe op wetenskap en -kuns-artikels en resensies. Sy het ‘n MPhil in wetenskapjoernalistiek van Stellenbosch Universiteit en het eers tydens grendeltyd besef hoé lekker dit is om nader aan die grond te leef en hoe interessant landbou-joernalistiek is. Sy woon agter Kaapstad se lensiegordyn in ‘n huis vol musiekinstrumente waar sy steeds ‘n futiele fantasie koester dat sy eendag ‘n professionele musikant kan word. Jy sal haar vroegoggende in die see aantref.
renelouise@gmail.com
SONJA VAN HUYSSTEEN | DESIGNER
A talented designer with an eye for detail and expertise regarding any and all types of content – whether the style is over the top or minimalistic. Sonja’s creativity originates from her fascination with fashion along with its colours, textures, shapes and uniqueness. When she’s not absorbed in graphic designs, she spends her time with the people who are important to her.
DANIE KEET | WRITER
Danie is an award-winning journalist with three decades of news writing under his belt. He has a special love for local news, having served as the editor of a community newspaper for seven years. He is has also written for most of the daily newspapers and a variety of online news platforms. People and what make them tick intrigues him, but he is also fond of wine, travel, environmental, investigative and a host of other stories. “Being in the outdoors, with people who has a love for nature in their souls, and to put those feelings and experiences into words, is the ultimate challenge to me as journalist.”
ANKE WORTHINGTON | CLIENT SERVICE
Anke loves the strong smell of a freshly printed magazine; MARKtoe! is by far her favourite scent. Building relationships with clients is what makes her tick. While ad sales can be difficult and complex, it can also be extremely rewarding when intentions are pure. She loves the fact that she can learn something new every day, and that no two days are ever the same.
MARYKE ROBERTS | WRITER
Maryke is a prizewinning journalist whose articles have been published countrywide. She has written about a wide range of subjects including books, actors, theatre, food, wine and travel. When she pulls over to open a farm gate and shakes the farmer’s hand, the anticipation rushes through her veins. “Agriculture is more than the production of food – it is the heart and soul of our country. And this is where you’ll discover tales of true grit,” according to her.
CLIFFORD ROBERTS | WRITER
Clifford has been a journalist and writer since the early 1990s. During that time – as he worked amidst the commotion of township demonstrations, among farmers, and in remote villages across the country – he discovered the stark truth about what makes us human. Nowadays he lives in a city close to the ocean which he loves, but he still brings homage to this truth by contributing to a variety of national publications. “The words of a song by Stef Bos apply to me because I will ‘always be en route’,” he says.
JUDY GONE | ADMINISTRATOR
Judy is a true family person and holds family values very close to her heart. She has always enjoyed working with numbers and welcomes a challenge. In her spare time, when not with her family, she enjoys getting carried away to a different place through a good book.
BIANCA DU PLESSIS | WRITER
Bianca thrives in the space where words and food intersect, preferably while she’s munching on a delicious snack somewhere on a dusty back road. As the founder of Feedback Food Redistribution in 1999 – an organisation that redistributes unused food to disadvantaged communities – and then as Food and Wine Editor of the glossy Condé Nast House & Garden a decade later, she is all too familiar with the extremes at the opposite ends of the food chain. Besides writing for newspapers, magazines, digital media, television and films, she is also a former restaurant critic on TV and co-presenter of a food program on VIA.
LINDIE WHITE | SUBEDITOR
Having been raised in a home filled with debates and reasonings, classical music and Siamese cats, Lindie chose a career in communication. For more than 25 years she honed her writing skills at several multinational firms. As a freelance media consultant, she now has a front-row seat to watch people as they try to make sense of the world by expressing themselves. At home she exasperates her husband when she edits his WhatsApp messages while she tries in vain to win over the approval of their two cat princesses.
NIKKI VAN COLLER | WRITER
Nikki is an experienced copywriter with a BA in Communication Science and 20 years’ experience. After spending 10 years at some of Cape Town’s top agencies, she decided to go solo – and she’s never looked back. When she’s not writing articles for magazines or corporate companies, she keeps herself busy with public speaking and writing books for children. She enjoys pottering around in her veggie garden that continues to outgrow its borders, likes to take walks or to spend time with her menagerie of pets.
LEONI KOK | WRITER
Leoni has spent more than two decades in the news and entertainment media industry. As a broadcast, print and online media all-rounder, she has covered every field from business and politics, to arts and technology. She has been a television anchor/producer, editor, investigative journalist, photographer, videographer, video-editor, blogger, podcaster, radio anchor, and writer.
MIA TRUTER | PHOTOGRAPHER
Mia’s eye for detail and talent for creative interpretation makes her both a talented photographer and exceptional digital multimedia editor. She is a self-taught photographer and Lightroom/Photoshop fundi who has taken on the industry with hard work and a friendly, yet professional attitude. She enjoys the many aspects of photography and editing and she’s mastered categories like products, food, studio, events and travel. Her love of people, places and beautiful things is the reason why she always has a camera at hand. She lives every day with passion and positivity while displaying respect and patience in all that she does.
DEWALD KIRSTEN | PHOTOGRAPHER
He has been a professional photographer since 2010 and Dewald has cherished every minute of it. His infatuation started at school when he realised during art class that it was quicker and easier to take a photo of a scene. Nothing except a career in photography appealed to him. He finds intense satisfaction in capturing special moments, whether at a wedding or while hiking up a mountain slope or as the light falls perfectly on a landscape. His portfolio includes commercial projects for large corporations.
JACQUES VAN ZYL | WRITER
A writer with a passion for the arts – including the art of cooking. Jacques concentrates on the stories that surround the people who are involved in making food, craft beer and wine. He received an award at the 2015 Franschhoek Literary Festival and the South African Wine Writers’ Awards. Another feather in his cap is that he is the author of Craft Beer: A Guide to South African Craft Breweries and Brewers. He is a writer of superior calibre and extensive creativity.