Twenty years of litchis

As the Litchi Orchard celebrates its twentieth birthday, exciting changes are underway at the haven for artisans and the sweet fruit synonymous with Christmas on the North Coast.

Much more than just a simple litchi farm, the well loved Salt Rock-based Litchi Orchard has been setting the trend for the last 20 years, ever since the Eb family first bought the farm way back in 1999 when all it consisted of was a tiny wholesale plant nursery office, minute staff accommodation and a pack shed.

What made the farm desirable?

That, according to founder and owner Paul Eb, would be the 300 odd litchi trees – all bordering on some 89 years of age and, every December, carry the sweetest litchis known to man.

Although the story may be familiar to some, not all will recall just how far back the farm’s history goes.

The existing original surveyor’s document from September of 1925 sectioned the property as Sub 44 (of 11) of Lot 71 No. 1524 when the district was still referred to as Victoria – the property, a 10-acre plot which included the grounds now occupied by Sage and the Salt Rock Nursery, was purchased by George Hulett.

George, according to information provided by Trevor Thompson of Seaforth Farm, planted the litchi trees around 1930 – the then known as Salt Rock Litchi was sold by George to Bruce McDonald who in turn would end up selling the farm to Ronnie Sermon before being bought by Errol Legassick.

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The litchi trees, a recognisable feature of the Foxhill, Salt Rock landscape were tended to carefully by each custodian before Paul and his wife Bronwyn purchased the property from Errol.

“Each December and all through their high-school years, Jeremy his sisters Emily and Rebecca would be roped into litchi sales from the rustic litchi shack on the side of the road,” said Paul.

Under the care of Jeremy as the manager of the farm, it would be transformed into a destination venue which has served as a launch-pad for many small businesses.

Come 2009, the Litchi Orchard hosted the first ever local farmer’s market in October – as current manager Rebecca recalls the day, it was a huge success.

Over the years, more facilities were added to keep up with the growing demand and of course, creating more unique, locally crafted and hand-made offers for clients.

“We managed to find authentic food vendors, including the German bakers, olives, cheeses, chickens, cakes, local wines, coffee roasters – as well as of course Cindy’s Fresh Produce, the longest running stallholder to date. Quality local craft traders joined the market, such as Sue Tuffin’s Pottery, and the current market shed was built to house them. Local musicians found a new stage from which to launch,” said Rebecca.

Night markets were added in 2010 and would run once per month. The demand for more however grew, and come 2015 Artisan Avenue was born.

Today, the Litchi Orchard stands as a testament to the hard work the Eb family had put into it and simply continues to flourish. The plans for the future of the Litchi Orchard look just as sweet as it’s actual crop.

The family’s collective vision has always been to create a space for them to live and work while being a legacy for their greater family.

It is in this light the property is being rezoned together with direction and vision from Union 3 Property Developers, Bloc Architects, and AF Planning.

The current commercial, entrepreneurial heart of the property will be enhanced and reworked within the frame of the overall development which aims to have three small residential nodes within the litchi trees.

The entire development is being designed around the near 90-year-old litchi trees which are essentially the heritage of the property.

And don’t worry, the most important bit of information was not forgotten: Litchis are expected to be ready for purchase by mid-December.

For more information on litchis and how the crop works, head to litchiorchard.co.za.

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