In the 1990s, when her children were in High School, Ansie Vlok started to put her degree in Food Science to good use to develop products using the fresh produce of the farm.

At first these were sold from the office and everything was produced in her home kitchen. However, as the range of products grew, boxes and bottles soon took over the house and it became apparent that it was time to set up a separate shop and kitchen for the business.

At the same time, building was underway on what would become the farm's trademark Castle. Originally intended to be a wine cellar, the growth in Valley tourism inspired Johan Vlok to change his plans for the building. Although the main construction took more than 7 years and was only completed in 2008, sections of the building were already in use much earlier and it was into one of these areas that Ansie first moved her burgeoning business.

In 2006 the present shop and kitchen were opened and Ansie hit full production capacity. All the products sold in the shop are produced on-site and 95% of these use produce grown on the farm itself.

For a brief period, the products were sold under the label "Morester", but in the late 1990s she re-branded her products as "Het Vlock Casteel", a brand which soon became synonymous with the Morester Estate.

There was some considerable thought behind the new branding. Riebeek Kasteel was originally settled predominantly by the Dutch and named for Jan van Riebeeck, the "founder" of South Africa . The first Vlock in South Africa arrived from Holland in 1670 and so with the deep connection between the present Vlok family and their Dutch heritage it was felt that Het Vlock Casteel (The Vlock Castle) was the perfect match.

Of course, having a castle on the property (the only one in Riebeek Kasteel) didn't hurt either.

Fruit products include dried grapes, jams, chutneys, ice-cream sauces, preserves and fruit in fortified wine (eg Boerejongens and Boeremeisjes and Kaapse Jongens), another connection to our Dutch ancestry.

Olive products include extra virgin olive oil, preserved olives, bottled olive products.

Wines produced from wine grapes grown on the farm include Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz , Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Other products include olive fudge, dried olives and health rusks.

 

The shop is open to the public Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm. This is an experience not to be missed as all these delicious products are available for tasting at no cost. There is also always the chance that the friendly face behind the product will belong to your hosts, Ansie or Johan Vlok.