SAFoodStories

EP 10 - The African Salt Story That Became a Global Phenomenon - with Samantha Skyring

What kind of person sells their house to buy 34 tons of salt? In this episode of South African Food Stories, Nicci Robertson chats with with Samantha Skyring, founder of Oryx Desert Salt, to unpack one of the most unusual food entrepreneurship stories in Africa. What started as a life-changing moment in the Namib Desert became a global gourmet brand distributed in more than 20 countries. Samantha shares the science, mythology and controversy surrounding salt, why processed table salt changed the way we think about nutrition, and how a hidden aquifer beneath the Kalahari became the foundation of a premium African ingredient brand. From single motherhood and financial risk to resilience, sustainability and intuition, this is a story about far more than seasoning. It’s about belief, survival and building something extraordinary from one of the simplest ingredients on earth. Oryx Web Page [https://oryxdesertsalt.com] · Oryx IG [https://www.instagram.com/oryxdesertsalt/] · Oryx LinkedIn [https://za.linkedin.com/company/oryxdesertsalt] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP9 - What It Takes to Produce World Class Olive Oil - with Brenda Wilkinson

In this episode of South African Food Stories, Nicci Robertson chats to Brenda Wilkinson, co-founder of Rio Largo Olive Estate, to unpack the unexpected journey that lead to building one of South Africa’s most recognised olive oil brands. With no background in farming, food production, or retail, the Wilkinson family learned everything from scratch, from growing olives to navigating international competitions and convincing a skeptical market to take a local premium product seriously. Brenda lifts the lid on the global olive oil industry, exposing misleading labelling, and why many consumers are unknowingly buying inferior products. She explains why fresh, properly produced extra virgin olive oil behaves more like a fresh juice than a long life pantry staple, and why authenticity matters not just for flavour, but for your health. RioLargo Olive Oil [https://riolargo.co.za] · RioLargo IG [https://www.instagram.com/riolargooliveestate/] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP8 - Purpose Beats Product, The Ocean Basket Playbook with Grace Harding

What if everything you think makes a restaurant successful… is completely wrong? In this episode, Nicci Robertson sits down with Grace Harding, the woman behind Ocean Basket’s explosive global growth, and she drops a truth most people in food don’t want to hear: - It’s NOT about the food. - It’s NOT about the price. - And passion alone? Completely overrated. From a single restaurant in Pretoria to an international powerhouse, Grace reveals what really built the brand and why most restaurant dreams collapse behind the scenes. Ocean Basket [https://www.oceanbasket.com] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/oceanbasketglobal/] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP 7 - From Fast Food to Real Food, How Gary Jackson is Reinventing How We Buy Food

In this episode of South African Food Stories, Nicci Robertson chats with Jackson’s Real Food Market founder, Gary Jackson, to explore how a personal health crisis led him to rethink everything he believed about food. From chronic illness to clarity, Gary shares how real, unprocessed food became the catalyst for change, not just in his life, but in how he sources and sells food today. They unpack the hidden costs of modern food systems, why nutrient density matters, and how regenerative farming could hold the key to better health for both people and the planet. This isn’t about diets or trends. It’s about reconnecting with food, and why that might change everything. Jacksons Website [https://jacksonsrealfoodmarket.archestore.online] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP 6 - Corporate Exit to Culinary Icon, Zanele Van Zyl Unfiltered

Rejected by publishers, she backed herself, and sold out 300 cookbooks in a single weekend. In this episode of SA Food Stories, Zanele Van Zyl sits down with Nicci Robertson to unpack the real story behind her rise, from IT professional to one of South Africa’s most recognisable food voices. Zanele didn’t follow the expected path. She left corporate life as a new mom to study cooking, built a loyal audience from scratch on social media, and turned rejection into rocket fuel by betting on herself when no one else would. What followed was not overnight success, it was consistency, courage, and a refusal to dilute her voice. They talk about: Reinventing traditional South African food without losing its soul Building a business organically, without shortcuts The realities of motherhood and entrepreneurship colliding Why trusting your own timing beats chasing validation This is not a story about luck. It’s about backing yourself when there’s no safety net, and playing the long game until the world catches up. Zanele IG [https://www.instagram.com/cookingwithzanele/] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]