Coffee made from vegetables? It was a health scare of a beloved family member that inspired this creative initiative by Chantelle de Bruyn.
Chantelle de Bruyn is a trailblazing social and healthcare entrepreneur, making waves in the agribusiness world with her forward-thinking venture, Buttercup Farmhouse. Her passion for product development and specialised crop production has not only set her apart but also earned her significant recognition.
Among her many accolades, she was named the 2022 Top Youth Agro Processor by the National Department of Agriculture, received the Most Innovative Product award from the Cwena Network in 2022, and was the Overall Winner in Business of the Year by Action Coach for 2021/2022. Chantelle’s journey is a testament to her commitment to transforming the industry.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a mother and an entrepreneur. Over the past three years I have also developed a love for reading and it has changed my perspective on life, how I view situations and how I can solve them.
Please tell us a bit about Buttercup Farmhouse
It is an organic food and health beverage outlet that specialises in its prime product, the Cucurbita Latte (vegetable coffee made from butternut). We have various hot and cold treats that we process using our vegetables.
Your products are so unique. Where does the inspiration come from?
Buttercup Farmhouse was registered in 2019 with the concept of initially processing vegetables into spices. After many years of working in part-time jobs, starting new businesses
and failing, I finally took a step back in late 2018 to re-evaluate myself and start doing something that can change the world at large. As a small-scale farmer specialising in crop production over the past five years, I have always loved farming and believed that I will somehow have to dominate this sector and monetise my skills. Just as I was about to pursue processing vegetables into spices, the world was hit by a global pandemic and all hope I had for my business was lost. My grandfather fell ill and was diagnosed with a chronic health disease due to all the caffeine he’d been ingesting.
After a few weeks of him having the coffee mixture I had made at home, his doctor noticed a slight change in his health report. From that day onwards I knew that there must be something special about this coffee. I had to perfect the recipe.
Today we have an SABS-tested product and the University of the Free State is doing our product development to develop more products from our initial coffee mixture. We are serving and catering for the health market at large and coffee lovers – the result is a global first.
Has coffee always been something you’ve been interested in?
Yes, but we were never allowed to have coffee as much as we’d like when growing up. When the opportunity came to have a cup, we would make sure we go big on our cups and cherish the moment.
Why is the move towards conscious eating habits important to you?
Our health is our wealth. I have never seen a sick person enjoying life to its fullest or a wealthy person enjoying life while being in bondage of sickness. These are hindrances that keep humanity from truly living out their best lives. While we’re not saying that our coffee will bring healing, we believe that it will help eliminate early signs of chronic health diseases. As it stands, South Africa’s highest death rate of about 60% is due to chronic health diseases.
Can you give us a glimpse of what’s on your menu?
We have hot and cold coffees in different flavours such as vanilla and caramel. We also have something for tea lovers in different flavours – matcha and spicy flavours. We will be launching vegetable ice cream in spring, as well as our protein snack energy bars.
What can we expect from you in the future?
An exciting range of new health products that is going to change the game in the health industry, while also focusing on the sports industry and supplying them with health supplements and beverages.
What is your most nostalgic meal or snack?
Definitely toffee apples.
What food represents you?
It would have to be a pasta dish. The Italians are known for making the best pasta dishes, but they need to come over to South Africa and try mine. They will never go back to Italy! I even wrote a poem about three years ago when my daughter thought I was pasta crazy.
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Images: Supplied
A version of this article was published in the Food&Home Autumn 2023 print edition.
