MONTAGU – The concept of producing a non-alcoholic variant to compliment their award winning gin was not born out of the phenomenal market share that spirit-free drinks have claimed globally.
It was far simpler than that. It was one man’s way of showing his wife that he cherishes her more than anyone or anything on this planet. Tahlia’s new range of alcohol-free gins were born out of love.
Just days after South Africa closed its doors to the rest of the world due to the Covid pandemic, Tahlia Farm owners Andries and Alicia Burger received even more devastating news.
Alicia had been diagnosed with cancer and in an instant their lives were turned upside down.
This couple who liked nothing more than exploring the open roads of Southern Africa, had to re-imagine their dream of settling on a beautiful farm outside Montagu.
They were forced to take stock of what is really important and while she was undergoing chemo treatment, Alicia was unable to enjoy her usual sundowner while soaking up the breathtaking views from the stoep they had just built.
The traditional braai with friends also had a somewhat somber feel to it.
This prompted Andries to start looking at ways to utilise the abundance of cactus plants that form the core of their business to address this dire situation.
These plants, known for their robust nature, changed the landscape along Route 62 forever.
At that stage, Tahlia Farm had produced two prickly pear infused gin variants (one from the leaf and one from the fruit) as well as a vodka and a prickly pear wine.
Unbeknownst to him at the time, the non-alcoholic beverage market was about to bloom and by 2021 this market reached the $3.3 billion mark with a further 31% growth projected by 2024.
“As illustrated in one of the flavours that depicts the butterfly, this is our butterfly effect, our first small movement in the non-alcoholic market and we hope it will have an effect in other places (of our business),” Andries said.
Each of the three guilt-free gins that are for sale represent a phase of Alicia’s chemo treatment. First the ‘Pupa’ has a classic Juniper background with green aromas and beautiful hints of prickly pear leaves – this was symbolic of the first 48-hours of treatment in eight hour sessions.
The ‘Morpheus’ also has a Juniper background, but with defined tropical notes extracted from the prickly pear fruits. It symbolises the 64 hours of treatments (eight hours per session) that were completed in June 2022.
The ‘Papillon’ is a celebration of life (and flavours) and is symbolic of Alicia’s triumph over the disease.
Also with a Juniper background to keep it as close to the real Mccoy as possible, the Papillon provides a burst of aroma derived from the Prickly Pear flowers. Watermelon and an almost bubblegum flavour can be depicted from this beautiful bottle of bloom.
“With the idea to create something for Alicia we approached the friendly people of Two Green Lemons to assist in the refinement of our new product,” Andries said.
Hanneli van der Merwe and Chris Wium, specialist beverage developers from Paarl, also fell in love with the idea and with their extensive knowledge of what it takes to create a unique, premium, marketable drink, Tahlia Farm embarked on a new adventure.
Mixed with Hanneli and Chris’ popular Barker and Quin tonic waters, the flavours of their new products exceeded all expectations.
They had created something special from a fairly prickly situation
Reflecting on this journey, Andries wore the look of a proud father who was holding his new born child for the first time. And as is the case with children, he knew that it would take a village to help raise this delicious alcohol-free child.
“Our business will succeed not because it is big or small, but because there are people who live it, dream it and believe in it and this includes the wonderful people of Montagu who have welcomed us in the community with open arms.”
