History
who we are....
Hogsback Berries is owned and operated by me, Sarah Currie. We specialise in frozen berries, including our own home-grown blueberries, as well as nuts and a range of wholesome, handmade value-added products.
We distribute along various routes throughout the Eastern Cape (please see our delivery page for details).
Berry HQ and our production facility are based on our family farm, Lindisfarne, located between the towns of Cathcart and Hogsback in the Eastern Cape.
Our blueberry growing operation is based at Grasslands Farm, situated on the foothills of the Hogsback Mountains, approximately 50 minutes from Lindisfarne. Grasslands Farm is owned by the Whyle family, and the blueberry growing element of the business is run as a shared venture.
how it ALL BEGAN....
In 2009 my husband Duncan Currie and his cousin, Lochart Whyle, decided to plant blueberries in a shared venture.
Lochart supplied the ground on his lush blueberry suitable farm (Grasslands) and Duncan supplied the shrubs as well as his berry expertise. For many years the blueberries just plodded along without much notice until they actually started producing decent amounts of fruit in about 2017.
Present day, the ladies have taken over the growing of blueberries at Grasslands with myself and Margo Whyle (Loch’s daughter in law) working side by side to grow and sell our blueberries each year. Margo is in charge of caring for them, and I am responsible for selling them via Hogsback Berries, the retail company I established in 2018.
In 2018, a severe hailstorm took out our blueberry harvest mid-season. With few blueberries left to sell, I sourced frozen berries from other farms as an alternative to offer customers. This led me to buying in other quality raw products like fresh nuts and honey, and thus the independent retail company, Hogsback Berries, was born.
With the great produce on hand, and a prior career in the food trade, it did not take long before we developed our value-added range. Our range also now includes amazing yoghurts made by Margo using their super creamy fresh milk, also produced on Grasslands.
Each year we evolve, grow and try get a little better at what we do. The heart of the business is and will always be about quality wholesome products and excellent customer service. We are incredibly grateful for every customer that supports us on our journey!
