What is being produced? Functional and decorative items for interior décor/lifestyle use
Manufactured from woven black wattle bark on a metal frame, the products have a strong value-added character derived from significant ‘hand’ input in the production process, linked to trend-driven design.
Products:
Baskets (with and without lids), linen baskets, pot plant covers; screens, shelving units, towel rails, mirrors, wall lights (wide variety); sculptural standing lights (may also be used as décor features without light inside). Can be made to client’s specifications.
Human Interest Story:
“I love what I do and can make a living from my business and I can provide opportunities for those working in my team to make a living as well,” says Malie Robertson owner of Genadendal Natural Products.
Starting on the Working for Water Fynbos Genadendal Project in December 1995, this mother of two’s first encounter with invasive alien plants. Working as part of a team operating a slasher she cleared and removed black wattle in the mountains where she grew up and played as a child.
In 1998, interested in a change of scenery, Malie joined a group of women as part of a local Secondary Industry Initiative developed by Western Cape Working for Water Region. At the time, Lulu Venter was tasked with guiding the creative processes and she learned to weave wattle bark into baskets and balls as decorative material.
Malie discovered her own creative spirit and a love for this work and in 1999, she had the courage to start her own business and that was the birth of Genadendal Natural Products. “I wanted to be to become the best employer in Bereaville,” she says.
“My life and the lives of my colleagues have significantly improved as a result of this project. We are now able to travel for regular training and development opportunities and are in constant contact with the Working for Water Small Business Initiative. They guide us to develop products that sell well in the market,” says Malie.
