Lenies Hof

Lenies Hof is a little organic farm doing BIG sustainable things. We believe in cultivating the land with intention and integrity and building a farming and food-system that is transparent, viable, resilient, and nourishing. The way we farm makes people healthier, soil richer, water cleaner, communities stronger and life more abundant. The little-ness of our farm is the physical manifestation of our biggest dreams. It is the grounding piece of who we are, and the role model we want to become, in enabling the collective accountability we all have for the land, soil, plants, animals, and each other.

We farm using biologically intensive and ecologically informed, regenerative practices to sustainably steward our 11 hectares of land in the Klein Karoo. 5 hectares of our total land use Calitz Dam water rights, which provides us with clean Swartberg Mountain water, to irrigate our crops. We grow apricots for drying and preserving, olives for oil and table, and 3 varieties of grapes for wine – Viognier, Touriga Nacioñal and Tinta Roriz. In addition, we have started planting indigenous South African plants for our own Still Pure brand of essential oils and natural, botanical body products.

At the forefront of our efforts is building and supporting soil health and ecological diversity through sustainable practices, without the use of chemical or synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides. Integrated Pest Management techniques are used to maintain balance in the vineyard, orchards and fields. We work to control any disease or pest before it becomes a problem through intense monitoring and increased biodiversity in all of our farming practices.

Our Vision is to create a viable rural society which aims to utilise regenerative farming as a transformative and sustainable development strategy and demonstrate that it can integrate and balance environmental, economic and social aspects into providing food, water, clean air, a stable climate, biodiversity, good health, security and happiness.

In 2015, we left The Netherlands and embarked on an adventure travelling and exploring Eastern and Southern Africa in our 4×4 overlander in search of a new place to call home. It was not only about finding a place to live but adopting a new lifestyle that would allow us to use our expertise, experience and energy to make a small difference to the world. Our journey took us further off the beaten path and we discovered that we wanted to reconnect with nature, create a self-sustainable homestead in a rural area and step outside our comfort zone. From fashion designer and architect to first generation farmer in the Klein Karoo of South Africa, our dream came true and we are exactly where we want to be! Come grow with us. Mo & Steve