3 minute read
FOR THE LOVE OF PESTO
World trends show that consumers are moving away from massproduced goods, whether it is food, clothing, beauty products or alcoholic beverages. They are rejecting consumerism andmaterialism and instead give preference to simpler experiencesas well as buying locally produced food. Emphasis is placed on making positive decisions when buying – decisions that are not only environmentally conscious but also focus on personal well-being.
Wonderveld was born out of these same principles. Green sauces that exude nature, a passion for real, healthy home-made food. Ingredients that are uncomplicated on their own but combineinto magical aromas and flavours when brought together.
“Pesto has become my life because I am crazy about basil, nuts, cheese and olive oil,” says Marcii Magson who started Wonderveld. At first she only made basil pesto, but in a little more than a year she has added salsa verde, chimichurri and pesto rosso plus a chilli, rocket and coriander pesto to her range. With a background in design and art, Marcii first realised that people loved her pesto when she made it for her art exhibitions.
It’s hard to start a new business but sometimes things just fall into place very easily and unexpectedly, Marcii says. In December Windhoek virtually becomes a ghost town because the cool climate of the coast is more alluring than the boiling temperatures of the Khomas Region. With the prospect of having to stay in the capital due to her husband’s work commitments, she decided to keep herself busy with some research on sourcing fresh produce and the viability of producing pesto. To her surprise it was a lot easier than she thought. She found that everything she needed was available from local farmers and there was even a local supplier of jars. That sorted, Wonderveld was born.
In the beginning Marcii made the pesto in her kitchen, but it soon started to fly off the shelves. So much so that sometimes she used as much as eight kilograms of basil a week. “My poor husband, the kitchen looked like a production floor and the fridge was packed with produce. We have since moved to a new house where we have a separate flat with its own kitchen and now I also produce the sauces. It has become so busy, however, that I employ an assistant to help me three days a week.”
Marcii attributes the secret to her tasty sauces to the small output, and she refuses to start mass production. She makes no more than 5 litres of any sauce at a time and since she makes them entirely by hand, every batch is a handcrafted masterpiece. “Crushing the garlic, lemon peel and salt with a mortar and pestle is a lengthy process, but there is no substitute to the activation of flavours and fragrant aromas that this method unleashes.”
After expanding her range by making chilli, rocket and coriander pestos, she reached a point last year when basil was out of season while the demand for her sauces was evergrowing. Not someone to be slowed down by a speed bump, Marcii started to make salsa verde that is mint based, because mint is in season when basil is not. Salsa verde is a bright and punchy green sauce that is a bit of an all rounder but goes particularly well with chicken or fish. With parsley, which is available all year round, she makes a mouth-watering chimichurri, used as a marinade or rub that perfectly complements red meat.
Why pesto? “I have a savoury tooth and to me a good pesto is like eating expensive chocolate, except you don’t have to feel bad about eating it. It is a treat that goes well with so many different dishes or just on its own with cheese. And it is a healthy green product full of vitamins and minerals.”
Find Marcii’s Wonderveld products in Windhoek at the Windhoek Bio-Markt on Saturdays, Maerua Superspar, Bonzai Bistro and Olivia’s or in Swakopmund at Farmganic. Follow Wonderveld on Facebook or on Instagram (@wonderveld).
Le Roux van Schalkwyk
