Our love for food and people started more than 30 years ago.

During my practical training as a chef at Gatrile’s & Son Restaurant in Sandton, I was introduced to the world of cuisine. It was there that I met my wife, and together we fell in love—not just with each other, but with this beautiful, unpredictable way of life. Madly in love, we set off for a life together in the Western Cape Winelands—and what a journey it has been since then.

Working in the restaurant scene, from the Cape Waterfront to the vineyards of Stellenbosch, our love for food and people grew daily. They say that when you do what you are passionate about, you won’t work a day in your life. We found that to be so true!

As we contemplated starting a family, we decided to first go overseas. We ended up joining Royal Caribbean International, where we worked for seven months, sailing the West Coast of North America—from Mexico to Alaska via Hawaii.

Back in South Africa, with some dollars in our pockets, we started a catering and event management company. Fueled by our passion for food and people, this grew into one of the leading catering companies in the North West Province. The experiences we had over the next 15 years are too vast to fully capture here.

During this time, we realized that our passion for food was only surpassed by our passion for God and His people. This sparked a new season where we stepped out of our comfort zone and moved to Port Elizabeth as part of a group planting a church campus. We bought the then “Friendly Stranger Coffee Shop” in the Baakens Valley, where we met wonderful people who became like family to us. With both the restaurant and the church growing, everything seemed perfect. We had a sense of belonging and purpose—both in the community and in life.

And then 2020 hit. With the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, we found ourselves at the receiving end of regulations that threatened not only our businesses but also life as we knew it. With the hospitality industry being one of the hardest-hit sectors, we lost both our businesses in quick succession.

Yet, in this new season—filled with new stories and testimonies of God’s goodness—we woke up one morning with the idea of making ready-made frozen meals that would be both nutritious and convenient. With years of experience and the same passion that had brought us this far, we created, tested, and perfected our recipes.

We have so many stories to tell about the people we’ve met and the experiences we’ve had on this journey. We will forever be grateful for the opportunities, friendships, and open hearts that have helped shape what Sir Shamrock is today.

Welcome to the Sir Shamrock family! We believe you will find values and excellence in our company that are hard to match elsewhere.

Thank you for allowing us to welcome you into this beautiful, unpredictable world of food that we so dearly love.

Doons & Yolanda de Jager