PRESS RELEASE A COMMUNITY ON A MOUNTAIN 01 August 2008 If you were to travel north on the N7 about 125 km from Cape Town you’d reach the town of Piketberg, which nestles at the base of a mountain that rises sharply in stark contrast to the rolling wheat fields of the Swartland. A drive up the Versfeld pass to the top reveals not only amazing views of the surrounding countryside and far-off Table Mountain, but a beautiful plateau which is home to orchards, colourful flowers, proteas, and a hamlet called Piket-bo-berg, which is home to Intaba Mountain Fruit Processing. Intaba is one of the projects of the Izandla Women’s Initiative, which was established in August 2001 through a partnership between Nozala Trust, the Cape Women’s Forum and Vuya! Investments. This Article 21 (not for gain) organisation was formed to generate new opportunities in job creation, work to alleviate poverty, and develop SMMEs focusing on women. Established in November 2002 by an enterprising group of previously disadvantaged people from Piketberg, Intaba (the name means “mountain” in several African languages) manufactures jams, chutneys and other fruit products. The company has nine directors and 22 staff. This Christmas, they’re producing a wonderful Blueberry & Raspberry Jam exclusively for Woolworths. At Intaba everything is done by hand, from picking the fruit fresh daily, to bottling and packing for shipping. Each individual piece of fruit is carefully inspected. No preservatives or colourants are added. The fruit is cooked in stainless steel steam pot under the watchful eye of trained staff who constantly monitor temperature and sugar content, then bottled under the strict supervision of their Quality Controller. In addition to all the attention that goes into making their delicious products, there’s a lot of love, too, and every recipe has a story behind it. Here’s the story of Romeo Raspberry and his passionate love: The day that Romeo was born was a warm spring day. Yes, it was a beautiful day and that’s the reason why his parents decided to give him this powerful name. Well, he looked beautiful and peaceful that day, nestling between his brothers on the long stem interspaced with prickles. But remember he was still small, very small. That soon changed. He soon started to show signs of greed, arrogance and false pride. His body also changed and took on a thimble shape and his skin was red and uneven. He definitely was every mother’s nightmare when it came to a suitable husband for her daughter. Baby Blueberry was also born that same day on the other side of the hill. She was a beautiful child and the moment she opened her eyes she was smiling. Her parents decided to call her Baby. That was not a very beautiful name but it suited the temperament of this child of love. As she grew up she was full of peace, love, kindness and empathy. Her body became round and her skin dark blue and glossy. She definitely was every mother’s dream of a wife for her son. They met in our factory where we were making jams of blueberries and raspberries in separate batches. We knew that her parents would never approve a marriage with the arrogant raspberry. But it was love at first sight. While we were making raspberry jam, Baby Blueberry decided to join Romeo Raspberry in the pot. Her whole family tried to stop her but during the struggle they also fell into the pot! There was an immediate explosion of taste as the blueberries blended with the raspberries, releasing all their anti-oxidants and freshness to mankind. ENDS Issued on behalf of: Woolworths Issued by: liquidlingo Communications Contact: Monique Postema / Jackie Busch +27 21 424 1530 monique@liquidlingo.co.za jackie@liquidlingo.co.za