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producing 350 litres, once a week. Once it’s ready, we fill up our flow bins and drive the soup to four or five drop-off points around the area. CM: We are mostly focusing on the local area around the brewery. Our soup is collected by volunteers associated with the Kalk Bay and Noordhoek CAN (Community Action Network) and then distributed to small kitchens in Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Vrygrond. OT: Who is funding the initiative? NB: It’s all private donations, whether from members of the public or from corporates. We don’t have any support from the government. It really is a great system though – an affordable and nutritious way to feed those in need. A litre of soup costs just R10 to produce and each litre gives three people a warm, healthy lunch. NC: We are relying on donations from the public and from local businesses. If people would like to donate, they can do so via our website. BC: We just got an amazing surprise when an anonymous international company gave us a grant for the next two months! It’s all funded by private donors. OT: What do donations go towards? NC: The donations go directly to buying ingredients, paying for electricity and covering petrol costs for the guys who are getting the soup to the kitchens. CM: The veggies are sourced from the Collective and the spices come from Kalk Bay donors, but the running costs (power, equipment, labour) are hopefully covered by donations. If we don’t get enough donations, I pick up the tab. I’ve been going through heating elements like crazy and these expenses I try to get covered by the local CAN. OT: Could this help breweries to stay afloat until the industry recovers? AV: The initiative started as a way to do some good in a time when there are so many people in need. But at a time when small breweries are also in real trouble, this can also be a way to help them keep the lights on until the industry picks up again. NB: Our goal, other than filling hungry tummies, is to be able to start covering some overheads so that we can produce a sustainable, long-term model as the hunger situation is sadly not going anywhere over the next year. OT: Now that you’re able to brew again, will you still continue to make soup as well? AV: Absolutely. We will easily be able to produce soup between brewdays. In fact, we think the demand for soup will significantly outstrip the beer demand! This wasn’t something just to tide us over through lockdown. So much has gone wrong with the delivery of food parcels and as a serving of soup has no resale value, it’s the best way to make sure people are being fed. There is a dire need for this at the moment so we will continue for as long as that need exists. BC: We are nowhere near brewing capacity, one week into level three, so we are making soup indefinitely. And in fact, our brewhouse can never be too busy for a three-hour batch of soup here and there. NB: Of course. It wouldn’t make sense to set up this whole network and have all of these people relying on us, then suddenly take that away. I think all of the breweries involved plan to continue producing soup indefinitely. Masked up and ready to mash: Charlie Murray at Long Beach Brewery Nick Bush of Drifter dispenses soup from a flow bin ready to serve The Woodstock Brewery team mashes in with buckets of butternut and potato Bruce and Karen Collins of Stellenbosch Brewing get ready to serve some soup Niall Cook gets cooking at Richmond Hill Photo by: Shanna Jones ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2020 | 9