Gerhard Meyer, pomegranate farmer and owner of Celebratio. (Photo: Provided)
The Klein-Karoo has long been synonymous with ostriches, dry plains and hardy farming, but on the farm Celebratio outside Oudtshoorn something completely different grows – a fruit that is as hardy as its surroundings, but almost overflowing with healing possibilities.
It is precisely these characteristics that make the Karoo Wonderful pomegranate a symbol for the work that pomegranate farmer Gerhard Meyer does on his piece of land between Oudtshoorn and Calitzdorp.
Here, where his grandfather at the time farmed on brackish land with very little water, he has established an independent and growing pomegranate brand over the past 18 years, which also enables other farmers to capitalize on the production of this crop in the Little Karoo.
“I had no knowledge of farming,” says Meyer, who previously worked in marketing and property development.
“My father was a school principal and wanted to farm after my grandfather passed away, but I think he was smart enough to see how difficult it would be in that environment and sold the farm to my uncle.”
The farm was then passed through a few different hands, before Meyer and his brother later inherited it again. He bought out his brother’s share, but took two years to decide what he wanted to do with the farm – which was then still called Langverwacht.
“I changed the name, because everyone who knows me knows that I am too impatient to farm on a farm with such a name,” he jokes.
According to Gerhard, you can find the reddest and sweetest pomegranates in the country here at Celebratio. (Photo: Provided)
“Celebratio is Latin for ‘the celebration of good memories’. My goal was to create something here in honor of the previous generations of Meyers who owned the land and the hardships they went through to keep it.”
In an attempt to farm with “something unique”, Meyer had the farmland’s microclimate mapped on a world map in 2008 and saw that it is similar to the climate in the Negev desert in the south of Israel.
He consulted a friend and farmer from the Paarl in the Western Cape and traveled together to Israel to look at the area’s land and farms.
“They farm there with almonds and with the Wonder pomegranate cultivar, and we have seen that pomegranates are more profitable per liter of water than almonds. The pomegranate tree also has a strong survival spirit – it can not only survive extreme drought, poor water and brackish soil, but still produce fruit.”
Although some of the largest pomegranate orchards in South Africa are mainly established in the Boland area and more recently in Limpopo, Meyer says that the Karoo area is “one of the most suitable areas in the country” for pomegranate cultivation.
Celebratio boasts several pomegranate products. (Photo: Provided)
“It sounds strange to some to have a pomegranate farm in the Karoo, but if you talk to older people in the area, they will tell you how their grandparents had pomegranate trees and how sweet the fruit was. The climate has always been suitable. I don’t really know why it never took off as a commercial activity before.”
Despite doubts from neighbours, land that was declared almost “unusable” by tests and a severe drought, Celebratio’s success has steadily become sweeter.
“We planted the first commercial pomegranate orchards in the Klein-Karoo, and today there are about six farms that now help us farm, thanks to the high demand. Apart from the 40 ha on my farm, there are currently a total of about 210 ha of these pomegranates in the area,” says Meyer.
Today, Celebratio also boasts its own warehouse and processing plant from which various products, including 100% pure pomegranate juice, port, ice cream and molasses from discarded pomegranates are produced under the farm’s registered trademark, Karoo Wonderful Pomogranates.
“Our juice is pressed from the fruit and immediately frozen. No sugar, water or preservatives are added, and no concentrate is made. What’s in our bottles was basically the same in the fruit.
Celebratio’s parcel store. (Photo: Provided)
“Every parent thinks their child is the most beautiful, but I promise you that here with us you will find some of the reddest and sweetest pomegranates in the country,” he adds jokingly.
For Meyer, it is particularly important to emphasize the tremendous healing value of pomegranates through every aspect of his farming.
“Look, I can keep you busy for two days with this,” he says with a laugh.
“In addition to healing, it also offers a lot of natural nutrition and strengthening. Even the oil pressed from the seeds is good for all kinds of skin ailments. The Western world still has no idea of all the benefits that this fruit has.”
As part of his goal, he and his wife, Marita, are now throwing open the farm’s gates for the first time on March 28 for a unique open day where visitors can follow this “super fruit’s” journey from orchard to box, bottle or ice cream bowl first hand through a personal tour.
Also on the program is a food demonstration by the TV chef Marinda Engelbrecht and a cocktail demonstration with pomegranates as the main theme. Guests will also have the opportunity to pick a pomegranate or two and taste the dishes and drinks.
Afterwards, they can stretch out on the farm’s grass terrace and enjoy a variety of food, coffee and wine stalls.
“We want people to get to know the fruit and brand in a personal way and see what the pomegranate can offer in its natural form.”
As for the future, Meyer says that he has never harbored dreams of “being the biggest pomegranate farmer or exporter”, but rather to further uplift the environment through this industry and especially to create job opportunities.
“There’s a reason why the pomegranate is a holy fruit in the Muslim and Jewish community. It’s a very special product that we farm with here. An elderly farmer I met overseas also said that you can be nothing but successful if you produce fruit from the Bible.”
- Tickets for Celebratio’s open day are available at celebratio.co.za, or call Marita on 082 335 6059.