Chantelle de Bruyn, owner of Buttercup Farmhouse in Bloemfontein, started her business journey in 2019 after her grandfather contracted a kidney infection. She decided to find a solution to his health problems.

“My family is big on coffee, but my grandfather was diagnosed with a kidney infection, which was exacerbated by all the caffeine he was consuming. I wanted to help him, using my knowledge of the innovative agri-space, where I specialise in crop production, mainly with butternuts,” De Bruyn shares.

She decided to experiment with blending vegetables into coffee to ensure her grandfather could still enjoy his daily coffee.

“I knew the benefits of butternut – I call it the super veg – and I started planting it at home because we were eating so many pumpkins every week that we couldn’t afford buying them anymore!” she laughs.

After months of trials and giving her grandfather homemade puree, doctors could notice a positive change in his health. This made De Bruyn decide to create something to help other people, too.

“This coffee is a game-changer for people who can’t have any caffeine in their system, but it’s just as delicious for regular coffee lovers,” she says.

De Bruyn initially struggled with funding and turned to creative strategies like community partnerships and crowd-funding. “Turning adversity into opportunities is part of my daily problem-solving,” the entrepreneur says.

Her commitment and love has paid off, and De Bruyn’s innovative butternut coffee will soon be on shelves at Food Lover’s Market.

OFM News