Product Development

MASHISHING MAMPOER

Some call it Schnapps, Grappa, Kirschwasser, Eau de Vie or Slivovitz. These are all the same thing - fermented fruit that becomes fruit wine and distills to “unaged fruit brandy”. In South Africa we call it Mampoer. Since the exact origin of the name “Mampoer” seems to be a mystery, rumour has it, it all started with the Pedi tribe that thrived in the Mashishing (Lydenburg) area during the 1870’s.

During this time, the oldest son of Chief Seswati and the next heir to the Pedi “throne”, was a man called Mampuru – also famous for his alcoholic brew made from Maroelas. It is believed the popularity of Mampuru’s brew, ignited the development of the traditional home made peach brandy or the famous South African Mampoer as it is known today. The idea was to create packaging that resembles the historical and cultural environment where Mampoer originated. Alcohol content is maintained at 43% with the flavour naturally infused without a single additive. Batches are made by hand from fruit in season or from maize. The bottle tops are moulded resin in a revised shape of the Lydenburg heads – famous artifacts discovered in the area during 1956.

GUSTON SAVON GLYCERINE SOAPS

Starting off as a joint venture agreement, Guston Savon is a range of ten plant based glycerine soap in 200gram bars as well as 500ml liquid dispensers. The original bar packaging was initially designed to resemble a wrapped gift, ready to go which seemed to caught on with people on the lookout for a quick, personal sophisticated-looking gift. All the soap items are handmade in South Africa at a community project, boosting super soft gentle to the skin qualities:

  • Ph-Balanced
  • NO preservatives
  • NO harmful chemicals
  • NO animal products
  • Hypo-Allergenic
  • Strong lathering properties
  • Strong moisturising properties


We discovered a large percentage of people demanding plant based glycerine soap as it alleviates some skin problems by absorbing water from the air and delivers moisture back to the
skin. As the European guidelines for production are adhered to, most of the required quality ingredients are not available in South Africa and have to be imported which do influence the retail price considerably.

RECYCLED NIGHT LIGHT

I remember collecting the used storage disks for many years, not knowing what exactly to use it for but still allowed it to accumulate... hoping something will come up... ...something did. I made a sketch and asked an uncle in the carpentry industry to lend a hand. We glued 100 x CD / DVD disks together to make up the light transfer area. Adding turned pieces of reclaimed solid wood on the top and bottom to extend this cylinder-like shape. Using an energy saving globe to illuminate it from the inside, this subdued green-blue light beams was perfect serving as a night light. A crafted light from 90% recycled materials that would impress both the hipster and opulent alike.

AISHA HERBAL SKIN CARE

The AISHA Herbal Based Skin Care range was developed due to demand of a traditional health practioner’s customers, who wanted traditional skin solutions made from local plants and herbal extracts, but in classy presentable packaging. Only using original fresh ingredients in the manufacturing process – some were only available in season and made the research and testing stages a challenge of patience and logistics. The series consists of an Even Tone face Cream, Day Night Face Cream, Exfoliator, Derma Repair, Tissue Oil, Comfrey Cream, Heel Balm and Foot Spa Salts.

All the packaging was sourced at a single supplier, manufacturing was outsourced and with a unified label design, the range has a distinct appearance on the shelves.

MISTRESS IN GREEN LIQUEUR

(Juffertjie in het Groen)
Originally this unique product was developed as an export product, with the recipe coming out of notes in a Dutch diary from 1654, kept by the VOC. The lemon brandy liqueur production was contracted to a supplier in the town of Petrus Steyn and the ceramic amphora container to a factory in Steynsrus. The plywood wooden crates were manufactured in Johannesburg and the aging process was done on the GS Design Studio premises to resemble a medieval pirate-type crate. The short history of the recipe was supplied in English, Afrikaans and Dutch in the form of an aged scroll among the wooden wool packaging material, which contributed to the authenticity of a favourite period piece.

A1 CUBE GARDEN CONTAINER

During the middle of 2018, the first prototype of the A1 Cube was made. The new light-weight fiber cement technology proofed to be a revolutionary solution in many ways.

Never before could you maneuver a cubic sized cement container without a crane. The A1 has been exposed to soil volume pressure without fail and makes it now possible to accommodate a whole range of tall trees inside buildings.

The development process took around 18 months before a complete product could be delivered to the first client. This light-weight fiber cement technology has such an extensive list of benefits, that is currently being applied to develop highly cost effective and eco-friendly storage facilities, guard houses, tool sheds, shops / kiosks, workshop area and temporary shelters.

GS PRINTMAKING INKS

A range of quality oil-based inks developed for the printing of woodcuts, linocuts, monoprinting, as well as etching & oil painting.

Manufactured in Germany from the best quality pigments, with a high level of light fastness & viscosity.

Available in 15 x colours & 3 x packaging sizes.

Another example of a joint venture between GS Design studios and an importer of a wide variety of products – repacking a selected product for a specific target market in the fine art industry.

YEBO STARTUP BUSINESS COACH

is an affordable home study course (available to download in PDF format) that explains the essential business basics to anyone willing to align their current skills and capacities with their dreams and aspirations to start their own business or create an extra source of income. YEBO STARTUP BUSINESS COACH aims to supply practical, smart and relevant business advice built on creativity and business experience to kickstart a new business venture from concept to viability questions, business plan (if needed) plus an online support structure to interact with other business startups – to answer the question “what should I do next” to achieve specific business goals.