Taste, discover, Browse: Meet the Farmer’s Weekly Royal Pavilion Exhibitors
From handcrafted lemonade and artisan preserves to Midlands confectionery, craft beer, rum, speciality meats and braai equipment, the Farmer’s Weekly Royal Pavilion will bring together an eclectic collection of makers and producers at the 2026 Royal Show.
The Pavilion will be a place to linger at this year’s Royal Show, with exhibitors bringing products and ideas from across KwaZulu-Natal and beyond.
Food and drink feature strongly, and visitors will encounter family recipes, small-batch production, regional craft businesses and products whose journeys begin with ingredients such as sugarcane, nuts, honey, fruit, chillies and livestock.
Here are some of the exhibitors to look out for (in alphabetical order so that we don’t play favourites!).
Ballito Gas & Braai
Ballito Gas & Braai is a KwaZulu-Natal North Coast business specialising in high-quality gas and wood braais, grills, fireplaces, fire pits and other equipment for outdoor cooking and entertaining. Its stand brings the practical side of South Africa’s braai culture into a Pavilion otherwise packed with things to eat and drink.
De Chen
De Chen produces handcrafted nougat inspired by founder Wesley Chen’s Taiwanese heritage and his experience in South Africa, using ingredients including honey, nuts and dried fruit. The range combines familiar artisan confectionery with flavour combinations and influences that give De Chen nougat a distinctive identity.
D’Lish Artisanal Delights
D’Lish Artisanal Delights, represented by Kim Atkinson, specialises in handcrafted sweet treats and confectionery. Royal Show visitors will also have an opportunity to see Kim at work during the Farmer’s Weekly Farmer’s Feasts, where her creations will include 4x4 Marshmallow, Pistachio Nut Toffee and Chocolate Bliss.
Drakensberg Brewery
Based at Cathkin Park in the Central Drakensberg, Drakensberg Brewery produces craft beers with a strong connection to the mountains and community around it. Its range includes beers carrying recognisably local names such as Champagne Castle, Cathedral Peak, Amphitheatre and Giant’s Castle.
Epa! Sauces & Pestos
Epa! Sauces & Pestos produces small-batch sauces, pestos and pastes with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and bold flavours. Epa! comes to the Royal Show with recent recognition from the 2026 South African Preserve Championships, where several of its products earned top placings.
G.O.A.T. Lemonade
KwaZulu-Natal-born G.O.A.T. Lemonade is a handcrafted, preservative-free natural lemonade brand whose name stands for “Greatest Of All Time” – and, as the makers are quick to point out, definitely not the animal. Its range includes Original, Ginger, Cranberry, Pink and Sugar-Free lemonades, along with tropical combinations such as G.O.A.T. Zestiva with lemon, pineapple and granadilla.
Gunbelts Hot Sweet Chilli Sauce
Pietermaritzburg-based Gunbelts Hot Sweet Chilli Sauce specialises in homemade sauces that combine sweetness with varying levels of chilli heat. Its range runs from milder options through to much hotter varieties, with unusual creations such as chilli-fudge caramel adding another twist.
O Goodness
O Goodness makes handcrafted preserves, chutneys, jams and hot sauces in small batches, pairing familiar ingredients with adventurous sweet-and-spicy combinations. Its signature range includes Cowboy Candy, Jalapeño Hot Honey, Mango Jalapeño Chutney, fruit-and-jalapeño jams and both Roasted Garlic Jalapeño and Pineapple Habanero hot sauces.
Spritz4u
Spritz4u will be familiar to many visitors who frequent the Shongweni Farmers & Craft Market, where its German-style baked and fried treats have developed a following. Its best-known offering is traditional Spritzkuchen, adding another food tradition to the Pavilion’s diverse mix.
Sugar Baron Craft Distillery
Based at Seafield Farm outside Richmond, Sugar Baron Craft Distillery makes rum and other sugarcane-based spirits using the Agricole method. Fresh cane grown on the farm is harvested, pressed, fermented and distilled on site, giving visitors a particularly clear example of agricultural produce being transformed into a world-class finished speciality product.
Tasha’s Fantastic Fudge
Merrivale-based Tasha’s Fantastic Fudge has grown from a family fudge recipe into a Midlands confectionery business with a broad range of handcrafted treats. Alongside traditional fudge, visitors can expect products such as bonbons, fudge sauces, salted caramel, Millionaires Shortbread, Fudging Popcorn and gift selections.
The Cure House
The Cure House, based in Merrivale Heights, specialises in quality meat products including biltong, aged beef, steaks, mince, burger patties and cured pork. Its emphasis on sourcing, animal husbandry and traditional curing provides a direct connection between local livestock production and the finished meat products on the counter.
The Great Railroad Brewing Company / Ballito Brewing Company
Originally established as The Great Railroad Brewing Company and now trading as Ballito Brewing Company, this Shaka’s Head microbrewery was founded by Ursula and Gary Wilby on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. Its range spans a number of craft beer styles, including lagers, pilsner, Weiss and ales, alongside other craft beverage products.
The Nut Mill
Hilton-based The Nut Mill produces 100% natural nut butters by roasting and milling nuts sourced from KZN and the Cape in small batches on the farm. Their approach centres on health, wellness, and simple ingredients, and has expanded into a wider range of nut-based snacks and pantry products.
Wedgewood Crafted Confectionery
Wedgewood Crafted Confectionery began in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in 1999, when Gilly Walters started making soft honey nougat for guests attending music evenings at the family home. Wedgewood are bringing their handmade honey nougat-infused ice cream to this year’s Royal Show, in flavours such as Salted Caramel & Toffee, Hazelnut Nougat-Chino, and Nougat & Lemon Meringue.
Follow the story beyond the farm gate
Taken together, the exhibitors in the Farmer’s Weekly Royal Pavilion reveal just how many directions agricultural ingredients and local enterprise can take.
Local sugarcane becomes rum, nuts become freshly milled spreads, honey finds its way into nougat, lemons become handcrafted drinks, fruit and chillies become preserves, and carefully raised livestock becomes cured meat.
It is another side of the agricultural story – one shaped by growers, makers, recipes, craftsmanship and the entrepreneurial ideas that add value long after the raw ingredient has left the farm.
Make time to explore the Farmer’s Weekly Royal Pavilion, meet the people behind the products, sample something new and discover just how much can happen after the farm gate.
Find the Farmer’s Weekly Royal Pavilion at the Royal Show, 7–11 October 2026, at the new Royal Showgrounds, Tweedie Hall, Howick.
