When Swedish entrepreneur and celeb Jonas Sandström visited South Africa all those years ago, he fell in love, cancelled his flight ‘home’ and bought a guesthouse in Cape Town. Since then, he has become somewhat of an ambassador for South Africa, buying into the ethos of local is lekker – literally! 

His love for this country and its people isn’t just spoken words – which he will no doubt talk about too – but it’s in his business decisions. He proudly chooses to use local products whenever and wherever possible, supporting local entrepreneurs from Hopefield to Barrydale. So if you want to make 2022 the year for promoting local, why not stay at Gonana and experience the lux in local products along with the warmest hospitality with our team of wonder women from in and around Cape Town and our beloved Jonas. 

Chemical-Free and Environmentally-Friendly, Simply Bee Is Our Local Choice of Creams 

Situated just over 50km from Gonana in the town of Hopefield, Simply Bee is a hive of activity, helping empower more people and raising awareness about the benefits of using beeswax products and bee conservation.

When Jonas discovered this family-owned business, their all-natural approach resonated with his vision for creating a guesthouse that worked alongside nature and not against it. This is why many of the furniture pieces and building materials used in our new Cottages and Guesthouse have been refurbished from the original home. 

Similarly to Paternoster, Simply Bee’s home in Hopefield is surrounded by fynbos-rich landscapes – a haven for beehives! This makes all of their honey, beeswax and propolis 100% organic, and we’re all for it! Jonas is an entrepreneur who will pay that bit extra, or spend more time searching for the perfect product or material, as long as it’s organic and environmentally friendly. Even when it comes to cleaning products used, Jonas chooses ones that are chemical-free and far friendlier to mother earth. 

As you may well know by now, Gonana means ‘embrace’ in isiZulu and Simply Bee is one of the local products that embraces the environment and power of bees in an ethical way – something we feel deserves promoting. We do this by stocking Simply Bee products and offering guests complimentary use of their creams in our guestrooms. Your skin will thank us later!

Barrydale Hand Weaves For Our Local Towels Promising the Softest of Feels

When creating each room, Jonas was eco-conscious in each of his design decisions. He always considered what the impact of each piece would be on the environment, which is why our rooms are luxurious in the sense of space and quality of products, yet minimalistic and reflective of the coastline and way of life here in Paternoster.

For example in each one of our guestrooms, you’ll notice the hooks made in historic Woodstock, Cape Town, and which proudly hold the softest towels. However, these aren’t just any towels; they have a story too, something that shouldn’t surprise you now that you know about our dear Jonas! 

Barrydale Hand Weavers has its roots along the famed Route 62, where Barrydale is located between the barren Klein Karoo and Overberg regions of the Western Cape. For the owners of this local establishment, the journey to realising it was “born of an intentional decision to slow down” – something that certainly mirrors the ethos of why our Jonas chose to leave behind his lifestyle in Sweden and opt for West Coast living. 

We find that not only are Barrydale Hand Weaves’ towels the softest we’ve ever felt, but they also perfectly compliment the natural hues and colour palates of our rooms. When designing every single room, Jonas merged the West Coast aesthetic along with Scandinavian design, creating spaces that are incredibly calming, considered in every design element, and kindest to the environment. If you’d like to take a closer look, why not click here and see what we’re talking about.

Oh Darling, It’s Time to Get a Taste of the West Coast 

In keeping with our ethos of buying local, thinking global, we’ve taken the ‘local is lekker’ South Africanism and supported it by sourcing local organic cheeses and fresh produce from the well-known Moose “On the Run” shop in Hopefield. Our beers are also West Coast favourites, with Darling Brew and Paternoster Brewery as our proud suppliers. And for those who aren’t craft beer drinkers, we have a selection of Darling Cellar wines as well as our first vintage of Gonana wine which is just about to release…watch this space!

Make 2022 the year of buying local and thinking global – it tastes better, looks better and is far better (and possibly more sustainable) than the typical New Year’s Resolution of ‘joining a gym.’ Come and visit Gonana and sit down with Jonas who is usually always here to share stories and ideas on how you can incorporate conscious living without compromising on the experience. Let’s grow local together as it benefits us all.