Local brewery, Stellenbosch Brewing Company, has repurposed its brewhouse into a soup kitchen and partnered with non-profit organisation, Kos Vir Skole, to provide meals for local communities in need, during the national lockdown.
The initial batch of soup, which produced 1 000 litres, was made on Freedom Day, 27 April, according to Bruce Collins, Stellenbosch Brewing Company founder and director.
The soup kitchen provides soup to surrounding communities, such as Kayamandi, Wallacedene, Bloekombos, Klapmuts and Kraaifontein, said Collins.
According to Johan Pretorius, founder and CEO of Kos Vir Skole, Collins contacted him to help supply soup twice a week for the local communities.
The Stellenbosch Brewing Company makes the soup in the brewery’s pots, after which it is taken to a distribution point. From there it goes to the beneficiaries, said Pretorius.
The Stellenbosch Brewing Company has repurposed its brewery into a soup kitchen to provide meals for the hungry, during the national lockdown. PHOTO: Bruce Collins
The soup kitchen currently feeds about 5 000 children per week, said Collins.
According to Collins, they have the capacity to produce 1 000 to 2 000 litres per batch of soup and can produce multiple batches per day.
“[W]e’re keeping it between 500 litres to 1 000 litres [per day] because that’s how much can fit on the back of the truck that comes,” said Collins. The batches of soup can feed over 2 500 people twice a week, said Collins.
“But, we have the capability to increase that by five or even 10 times, if we were to get the sponsorship and funding,” Collins said.
The new endeavour
The idea came about when business came to a “grinding halt” due to the lockdown, said Collins.
“We have been shut down like many other businesses and unable to manufacture or sell our range of craft beer products since March,” said Collins in an official statement, on 27 April.
According to Collins, they decided to start the soup kitchen after considering their options and the current situation.
“We couldn’t accept that so many people were without an income and going hungry,” he said.
According to Collins, when the brewery starts to produce beer again, the vessels can still be used.
The brewery pots are cleaned and sanitised between every batch of soup, as they would do for beer, said Collins.
“We don’t expect to be back to 100% beer brewing capacity anytime soon, so we plan to continue feeding people for as long as we can,” he said.
Securing sponsorship
According to Collins, the brewery hasn’t managed to secure a permanent sponsor to fund the purchase of the vegetables or the operating cost. At the moment, they are relying on donations from friends, customers and beer lovers.
The managing director at De Jonker Kwikspar, Andrew Birss, has personally assisted Collins with purchasing ingredients for the soup kitchen.
“Various homeowners from the estate we live [in] donated money through me to assist Bruce with vegetables for the soup he was making,” said Birss.
De Jonker Kwikspar also donated food items such as bread, seasoning and various vegetables in aid of the brewery’s efforts, said Birss.
According to Collins, the idea to start a soup kitchen came amidst South Africa’s lockdown. PHOTO: Bruce Collins