Kosbaar has opened a new factory shop in Strand, giving local customers direct access to its growing range of plant-based frozen food as the business expands its reach across South Africa.
A new factory shop has opened in Strand, but behind the opening is a business story that stretches from Greyton to the Helderberg and from an earlier plant-based food venture to a brand now building its own production base.
I reached out to Adien Aggenbach, founder of Kosbaar, to find out more about the new shop, why Strand became home to the business and what she has planned for the brand as it continues to grow.
Why Strand became home
Adien’s connection to Strand began before Kosbaar.
She had relocated from Greyton, while her partner was already living in the area. Bringing their lives together made Strand the natural place to settle and, eventually, the place where she would build her business.
What she did not necessarily expect was how strongly she would connect with the area itself.
“The mountains, the ocean, the community — there’s something genuinely special here that I hadn’t expected,” she says.
Building on earlier experience
Kosbaar is not Adien’s first venture into plant-based food.
She previously founded Plant in 2014, an experience that helped shape her understanding of what customers were looking for and where there was room for something different.
Kosbaar’s range is 100% plant-based and cruelty-free, with no added sugar apart from its cupcakes.
Adien also says the business avoids the fillers and artificial extras she believes are common in frozen food, with the focus instead on making convenient food using ingredients she is comfortable putting into the products.
Not just for vegans, with a growing product range
Although Kosbaar is a plant-based brand, Adien does not see its market as being limited to people who identify as vegan.
The business is also aimed at flexitarians and people who simply want to eat more consciously while retaining the convenience of having food ready in the freezer.
“You don’t have to be vegan to love what we make — you just have to love good food,” says Adien.
That broader audience is also reflected in the range, which continues to grow. Pizzas are among the newest additions, having launched shortly before the factory shop opened, with further products being added as the business develops.
From Strand to the rest of South Africa
While the factory shop gives Kosbaar a physical presence in Strand, the business is also geared towards customers beyond the Helderberg. Through its online store at kosbaar.com, Kosbaar delivers its frozen products nationwide.
For Adien, that means building a brand that remains rooted in the community where she has chosen to live while making its products available far beyond the Helderberg.
The factory shop is located at Shop 3, Unit 14, SANDZ, 3 Church Street, Strand, and is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and Saturday from 9am to 12pm.
