History

Hermanus Pieters came to the Cape in 1815. He was a Dutch farm school teacher at Boontjieskraal, near Caledon. Such were the times that sometimes the farmers whose children he taught would give him a sheep or two in payment for his services.

Although his school was at Boontjieskraal, he also served other farms such as Karwyderskraal, Afdak and Hemel en Aarde. Pieters came to South Africa at a time when Dutch-speaking farmers were unhappy about English as a mandatory medium of instruction in government schools. They consequently imported their own teachers from Holland. During his travels between farms, Pieters discovered a spring and grazing for his sheep on these shores. He camped and fished near a milkwood forest which he would return to many times.

He was such a popular man in the community that the spring became known to all as 'Hermanus Pieters se Fontein'.

He did not live long enough to experience the pride of the village being named after him. Many years after the founding of Hermanuspietersfontein in 1855, the local postmaster had the name shortened to make his job easier.

Today Hermanus enjoys the reputation of being one of South Africa’s most popular resort towns.

Directors: Johan Pretorius, Mariëtte Pretorius, Bartho Eksteen
Winemaker: Bartho Eksteen. Assistant winemaker: Kim McFarlane

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