Born under the Southern Cross
Oake Woods & Co
Oake Woods & Co was born in the Karoo, in a landscape of dust, stars and silence.For us, the Karoo is a place of purity, far from bright city lights, where the night sky still belongs to the Southern Cross.
The Southern Cross
In our logo you will see this sky, the Hantam Mountains and a single windmill. The Southern Cross has always been a sign of orientation and home. The name Negester – Nine Star – comes from the poem "Negester en stedelig" by the South African poet D. J. Opperman (1914–1985). In this poem, the Negester, the bright stars of the southern sky, stand in contrast to the lights of the city. For our family, this image became a symbol of being rooted in a place. Responsibility, gentleness and a quiet trust in one's own place in the world shape this idea.
The One-Star
Oake Woods & Co was founded by Eben and me, Kristi. Eben is from South Africa, I am from Austria.
The two stars in the logo tell our own story. In Styria, under a full moon and with a bottle of red wine, Eben and I sat in the vineyards and gazed up at the sky. There we discovered Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, which is in fact made up of two stars: Sirius A, the brilliantly white primary star, and Sirius B, its quieter companion, a faint white dwarf. They orbit each other in a slow, fifty-year dance, remaining inseparably bound to one another.
In that moment, we recognised ourselves in them: two stars that shine as one. So we gave the constellation its own name – Einstern, One-Star.
Later we discovered that the very same star, Sirius, also appears over the Karoo when the Southern Cross rises. For us, this is a quiet reminder that love, like the sky, spans continents and connects people, even when oceans lie between them.
The Windmill
The windmill stands for the unyielding spirit of the Afrikaners and their ability to make something out of almost nothing, drawing water and life from the dry earth.
The Hantam Mountains
The Hantam Mountains in the background are for us a picture of permanence and constancy. They are rock that cannot be moved, that withstands every storm and reminds us to do our work calmly, honestly and without shortcuts.
Oak Wood
The oak wood stands for our craft. Bacon is smoked over oak and cut on oak boards. The ring of this wood that encircles everything is our symbol for tireless work: repeating the same careful movements over and over until the result is right. The name Oake originally comes from an old English bacon company, but for us it simply means wood, fire, salt, meat and permanence.
Family
Elmar, Eben's brother, and his wife Juanita live the same spirit of Negester: creating a home in which people are seen and in which care happens quietly and naturally. All four of them, and their children too, share a deep love of braai and the craft of meat processing, from selecting the right cut to the last slice of boerewors on the board. The images in the logo therefore tell not only the story of Eben and Kristi, but also find their echo in the lives of Elmar and Juanita. It is a shared story that exists between them without needing to be spoken aloud as it is in a family.
Where the worlds become one
Under the vast sky of the Karoo and within the stillness of the Alps, the circle closes. Here, the dust of our heritage merges with honest craftsmanship into that very flavour which brings the images of our childhood to life in every bite. It is the union of South African soul and Austrian constancy, held together by an invisible bond. Above all stands what holds us together as a family: the love of our origins and the unshakeable strength of resilience.
Our story is told by Kristi
The People Behind Our Ingredients
Oake Woods & Co grew out of our own story. Yet every product begins long before it is processed. It begins with people, with soil and with the places where plants grow and animals are raised.
Across South Africa we work with farmers, producers and partners who share the same outlook. Care for the land, respect for natural processes and the understanding that good food requires time, knowledge and patience.
Their work forms the foundation of our products. Every ingredient has an origin and every origin carries its own story.
With this section we would like to honour the people behind these ingredients and share some of their stories.
The seeds for life Story
Western Cape, South Africa
Organic vegetables grown with care for soil and community
Tanya van Stade
Founder of seeds for life Farm Cooperative in the Western Cape of South Africa. She started the project during the COVID-19 pandemic after losing her job, first growing vegetables in a small garden in her own swimming pool. What began as an experiment gradually developed into a certified organic farm producing vegetables and nutrient-rich plant powders with care for soil, seasons and community.
seeds for life
From a Swimming Pool Garden to a Fully Certified Organic Farm
Tanya van Stade
seeds for life Farm in the Western Cape of South Africa produces organic vegetables and plant powders, including beetroot, spinach and butternut. The farm is run by Tanya van Stade, who founded the project during the COVID-19 pandemic after losing her job.
What began as a small garden experiment in her own swimming pool gradually developed into a farming project rooted in determination, patience and care for the soil.
Working with natural cycles and organic growing methods, Tanya began cultivating vegetables that would later be processed into nutrient-rich plant powders. Among them is beetroot, which is used to produce the organic beetroot powder supplied to Oake Woods & Co.
Today seeds for life supplies organic vegetables and plant powders to a growing network of partners while continuing to build healthy soil and resilient local food systems in the Western Cape.
For us this connection between soil, plant and ingredient is essential. Good food does not begin in a factory. It begins in the soil and in the hands of people who take responsibility for what grows there.
Working with the Soil
Healthy plants begin with healthy soil. At seeds for life Farm, fertility is built through natural methods and careful soil management. Tanya produces her own worm castings from worm farms on site and combines them with organic fertilisers such as Biotrisol.
Every few months the soil is enriched with natural composts including horse manure and mushroom compost. More recently the farm has also introduced Seabrix to support plant vitality and soil balance.
These practices create resilient soil and strong plants, forming the foundation for the organic vegetables and plant powders produced on the farm.
From Farm to Ingredient
Among the crops grown at seeds for life is beetroot, from which our organic beetroot powder is produced.
For Oake Woods & Co this connection between soil, plant and ingredient is essential. Good food does not begin in a factory. It begins in the soil and in the hands of people who care for what grows there. Working with farms like seeds for life allows us to remain connected to the land, the seasons and the people whose knowledge and dedication shape the ingredients we use.
Nutrient-Rich Plants from Organic Soil
Beetroot and Swiss chard are among the most nutrient-dense vegetables grown at seeds for life Farm. Beetroot is rich in antioxidants and dietary nitrates that may support healthy circulation and endurance, while Swiss chard provides valuable vitamins such as A, C and K together with essential minerals including magnesium and iron.
Grown in healthy, organically managed soil without synthetic pesticides, these plants develop their full flavour and natural nutritional value, forming high-quality plant ingredients.
Natural beetroot contains dietary nitrates (NO₃⁻) that the body can convert into nitric oxide. In our bacon and product formulations, beetroot is used as a plant-based ingredient contributing both flavour and naturally occurring nitrates.
