Responsible Tourism | Vegan Hospitality Consultant | Plant-Based Nutrition Coach | Africa Travel Specialist | Bug's Human
Healthy Planet - Happy Earthlings
Vegan hospitality consultant, nutrition coach, and travel specialist with a passion for helping South Africa’s tourism and hospitality industry evolve towards a more sustainable, planet-supporting future, while boosting profitability by tapping into the rapidly growing vegan and flexitarian markets.
Drawing on over 25 years of experience in African travel and guest experience design, I bring together my love for food, people, and the planet to create practical, forward-thinking solutions for hotels, lodges, and restaurants. Whether I’m guiding chefs to craft greener menus or helping owners future-proof their operations, I approach every project with curiosity, compassion, and a dash of Dutch practicality.
My vision is a big one:
✔️ South Africa leading as a plant-forward tourism destination in the world
✔️ South Africa leading towards a just, sustainable, climate-resilient, healthy and compassionate future, in which Africa’s best practices of connecting people to Nature, land and food are integrated into tourism
✔️ Creating a global network of plant-forward accommodations committed to responsible and compassionate hospitality
My mission is:
✔️ To help integrate a South African Plant-Based Food strategy supported by tourism and hospitality
✔️ To empower forward-thinking South African hospitality establishments to profit from the growing earth-conscious travel market by facilitating two meaningful shifts: cutting emissions through plant-forward menus, and channeling that success back into the communities that make responsible tourism real
About me
Africa Travel Specialist
With more than 25 years of experience in the safari and lodge industry, I’ve come to understand the diverse needs of independent travelers who visit Africa – whether for leisure, work, study, or the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I bring together a deep passion for travel and Africa with a highly personalised approach and an unwavering commitment to not only meet, but to exceed, your expectations.
Vegan Hospitality Consulting
Ubuntu Vegan Hospitality empowers the forward-thinking South African hospitality industry to bring sustainable and vegan-friendly initiatives to life. With our expert guidance and support, you can feel confident that you can proactively attract and extend that warm, South African welcome to the growing health- and eco-conscious vegan and flexitarian travel markets. Good for business, good for the planet!
Plant-Based Nutrition Coach
Plants Rule!
Veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds are all we need for robust and youthful health, boundless energy, a radiant skin, and a sharp mind.
Together we will actualise vitality, physical and mental energy, resilience, and sustainable, long-term weight-management through wholefoods plant-based nutrition and Vitality Coaching.
Plant Based Treaty South Africa
The Plant Based Treaty is a global grassroots organisation that puts the food systems at the heart of the climate crisis.
In South Africa we focus on:
- Fighting the climate crisis with our forks
- Promoting traditional African plant-based foods
- Feeding Africa, not corporations
- Supporting agroecological farmers
Bio
I am an accredited HCA Health and CNS Plant-Based Nutrition Coach, a certified Vegan Hospitality consultant, a vegan travel agent and a passionate advocate of taking responsibility for a more sustainable food and tourism sector. I am also the Coordinator/Liaison for the Plant Based Treaty in South Africa.
My passion for hospitality stems from 25+ years of inbound travel experience, which started when I moved from my native Netherlands to South Africa in 2000. My experience ranges from guiding overland camping safaris through Southern Africa to 15 years of owning my own boutique travel agency, which has created a keen understanding of the tourism industry and a passionate dedication to not only meeting, but exceeding the expectations of all of my customers.
Having been a health-conscious and ethical wholefoods plant-based vegan since 2018, I experienced first-hand the slow adjustment to a more plant-forward culture in South Africa. Today, the vegan movement has grown to become an unstoppable and ever-growing snowball, with many plant-forward travelers to South Africa looking for compassionate customer service and vegan food and travel experiences.
I currently live in Knysna, Western Cape, with my (plant-based) township dog, Bug.