ABOUT US
Our Story
The Family Farm
‘More than a business – a lifestyle – it is an ideal worth preserving’
Rudi and Cindy Kassier turned a dream into a reality, what started off as a simple farm stall has flourished into a successful enterprise not only providing a ‘have to go to’ establishment for locals and on your way to your annual holiday destination but also offering jobs and career opportunities for the surrounding communities.
Rudi and Cindy bought Highgate Farm in 1996 with the vision of a simple farm life and to provide for their children. Starting off as a vegetable farm with the intention of providing to the community and local farmers. With the farm being located on the busy R103, Rudi identified a need for a ‘stop and go’, a farmstall where you could pull up, and pick and choose your own freshly grown vegetables. As the word spread of local fresh produce being readily available, people flocked to the little farmstall under the tree.
Soon becoming quite the social point, the regular customers were soon requesting coffee, snacks and sandwiches. And so – Piggly Wiggly was born.
The construction of Piggly Wiggly
The first structure to be put up was the thatch building, where the coffee shop is.
Cindy and Rudi worked around the clock to create a place where everyone was welcome for a quick meal, a meeting place for old friends, a place for new friends and so much more.
Being built on family morals and a foundation of trust, growth and loyalty you will find the majority of the staff have been with Cindy and Rudi from the beginning, going from picking the vegetables in the fields to working and managing one of the eateries, Rudi has helped expand peoples’ careers and has supported them onto new and bigger ventures. Some have become lawyers, others in the medical and teaching careers.
Piggly Wiggly grew year by year growing into a centre where you can find shops, supporting local brands and show-casing a variety of unique merchandise, having something for everyone. Now with numerous shops, a residential estate and a wine producing cellar and restaurant.
Who We Are
Rudi and Cindy have three children Matthew, Nicholas and Cathryn, with the intention of handing this legacy over to their children, Rudi had the vision of expanding Highgate. Rudi being quite the romantic and with a passion for wines, their stories, and the intriguing process of growing, nurturing and producing a beautiful bottle of wine – a story within itself.
Highgate has 5 hectares of vines. With a variety of Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. You can still find the first vine outside the coffee shop that was planted in 2004. What started off as an idyllic hobby has bloomed into one of only three established Wine estates in KZN. Highgate produces about 18 000 bottles of wine a year, each year (with KZN not having the most predictable weather) it can be tricky to know what grapes will be produced. Which means only once the grapes are harvested can we determine what wine we can produce.
The Kassier family are personal and original, therefore keeping to tradition of bottling by hand, labelling by hand even still using corks in the bottles.
If you are on your way to the hussle and bussle of JHB or taking a drive to the warm sea sand of Durban, take a turn into Piggly Wiggly where you can veer off to the wine estate for an introduction of new world style of wine, making an experience not to be missed or come up the stairs through the roses into the cosiness of the coffee shop where all the produce is provided by the local farmers and you will experience some relaxing relief. We look forward to seeing you soon.
