“Just to give some background, Buttercup Farmhouse is my fifth running business. The other four were a collective of spectacular failures that led me to register with Buttercup Farmhouse back in 2019. Fast forward, not only is it my birthday month but we celebrate Buttercup Farmhouse’s birthday.
Chantelle de Bruyn is what you would call a go-getter who has grown her business not once, but five times in a relatively short period. She began by creating the Buttercup Farmhouse Vegetable Coffee Brand, which gained popularity among coffee aficionados and grabbed the attention of the University of the Free State in product development and national market access.
What had been a dream of hers initially, materialised into what became a need in the market, more especially for those closest to her.
“As a result of the excessive amounts of caffeine he had been drinking over the years, my grandfather was diagnosed with a liver and kidney illness in the early 2020s. Fast forward to when my grandfather’s health report improved, at which point the doctor enquired as to what we were providing him. I jumped at the chance to make my coffee production dream a reality.”
Buttercup Farmhouse’s coffee is processed vegetables with soya additives and caters to people who suffer from Health Chronic Diseases such as Heart disease, which contributes to the high death rate in South Africa.
“About 60% of our death rate in South Africa occurs from chronic health diseases and this could vary from time to time. We cater for people who are not allowed any caffeine due to side effects that they might suffer from but we also cater for coffee lovers in general.”
With the slogan ‘Honour Life – Honour Organics,’ her health scares were a wake-up call to begin honouring organic living. She promoted this message by going from location to location with a coffee drive in Rocklands, which eventually evolved Buttercup Farmhouse into a notable one-stop coffee shop.
As a foodie at heart, Chantelle shares that nothing pairs better with Buttercup coffee than their Homemade banana coffee bread or their customised bespoke pasta, all of which make for a winning recipe.
“Being a foodie encompasses a wide range of interests, which is why I am currently enrolled in food science programmes, where I am representing South Africa in Tanzania in the Leading Women In Africa Food Fellowship, in collaboration with Africa Food Change Makers, which is a leading programme for female game changers in the food Agritech Sector.”
“I am also involved in a programme called Women Feed Africa through the Pan African Chamber SA, which will be hosting food programmes all over the world promoting the importance of nutrition and social impact in society. Amongst many other projects I am involved in, these two are dear to my heart for this year.”
Regarding her collaboration with UFS, Chantelle reveals that they are processing coffee sachets and coffee bags, as well as other new goods that will be released later this year. In keeping with this collaboration, she discusses why she appreciates running a business in the city.
“I like the fact that Bloemfontein is a small city because it allows us to manage our clientele base here, and the market has received it very well.” Because of word of mouth, our devoted Bloemfontein clients and our product has transcended boundaries. We are grateful to them because they are now part of the Buttercup family.”
Aside from being an entrepreneur, Chantelle enjoys reading good books on occasion.
“I’ve developed a passion for reading.” I’d like to think I’m not a social butterfly, but many would disagree, but I do enjoy my own space and quiet time because it’s in those places that I get to generate new ideas for my life, career, and family goals.”
Chantelle also believes that she has come this far in her company and life path because of God.
“Throughout all of my encounters and challenges, God has been so gracious in sending divine helpers my way to help me continue on this journey.” It is in Him that I have found my ultimate purpose in this business, and I look forward to passing the baton to others who will operate it on a worldwide scale one day.”
Her advice to aspiring and established entrepreneurs is to give yourself a chance to become the person you believe you can be.
“Fear is faithless. Be courageous and faith-filled, and you will see things develop as you become the person you were meant to be in all aspects of your life. You will notice opportunities if you believe it will work out. If you think it won’t, you’ll find barriers. Since I realised this, I’m committed to remaining cheerful and happy in any situation.”
In other exciting news, Buttercup Farmhouse has been invited to participate in the International Food Trade Fair Festival in Germany later this year, owing to its popularity and innovative scale, as well as exporting the product inland, and many more that will be revealed in due time.
“We have a lot of coffee tours and events inside and outside the province, but we are mobile and rarely stay in one place for long, so for coffee orders, you can reach us online via our website www.buttercupfarmhouse.co.za, or reach our sales team at 083-982-9545/063-148-0721 and also follow us to see what exciting times are lying ahead.”
Text: BONOLO MOLOI Photography: GYSEENIA LION Make-up: KRYOLAN FREE STATE
