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The Cape Herb & Spice Company was founded in 1994 in Cape Town, which is situated at the south-western tip of Africa. The city is sandwiched between Table Mountain, one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks, and Table Bay, which is cooled by the Atlantic’s Benguela current as it washes up from Antarctica.
The location of the city is not insignificant: Europeans began exploring the west coast of Africa in search of a route to the spice markets in Asia in the 1400s. Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 and in 1498 Vasco Da Gama established a sea route to India.
The Dutch East India Company, which was a dominant force in the Asian spice trade, established a settlement at Cape Town in the mid 1600s as a midway point for their trade with Asia. Jan van Riebeeck laid out a 43-acre garden to supply vegetables to ships on their way to the Dutch East Indies.
The gardens got smaller and exotic plants replaced vegetables after Cape Town formally became part of the British Empire in 1814. Today the gardens remain a cool haven in the city centre, with fountains, aviaries and a pleasant outdoor café. The mix of European, African and Asian culture in Cape Town also remains and this has given the city a rich culinary heritage. It is against this background that The Cape Herb & Spice Company was formed, continuing Cape Town’s tradition as a hub for the spice trade.
The Cape Herb & Spice Company’s factory is situated close to the Steenberg Mountains, about 20 minutes from downtown Cape Town and a short drive to False Bay on the Indian Ocean, the end point of the annual migration from Antarctica of Southern Right whales.
Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and managed according to international food safety standards, The Cape Herb & Spice Company’s factory is regarded as one of the best of its kind in the world. It has been certified by several food safety companies and is audited regularly by many of the company’s private label clients, some of whom are regarded as world leaders in this regard.
The Cape Herb & Spice Company is a non-discriminatory employer with enlightened human resources policies. For example, the company provides HIV/Aids training for all staff members along with a comprehensive vocational training programme. This has contributed to the company’s accreditation with organisations such as Fairtrade.
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