Judi Sheard and Lisa Watermeyer are farmer's wives who have pioneered a busy new industry with their delicious jam, pickle and other products, sold under the Karoo Moon label. After starting a catering service with Lisa, Judi was taken with the idea of perfecting some of her recipes and bottling them for sale. As it's increasingly difficult to make a living from farming she needed the extra money, and so did Lisa, her friend and neighbour. A business run from her kitchen would also allow her to devote more time to the self-catering cottages on her farm, and to a spinning and knitting project she started some years ago. On top of which, getting creative in the kitchen was something both she and Lisa were familiar with, as it's normal to be inventive in the vastness of the Karoo rather than take a tedious trip into town to buy what vou need.

The upshot is products that show how being creative with traditional recipes can result in sophisticated and extraordinary taste sensations. Judi and Lisa's Sublime Beetroot Jam is spicy but sweet and. when spread on crusty bread or served as a relish with cheese or hot or cold meats, is hard to match for flavour. Karoo Moon's zingy Bread & Butter Pickle is a refreshing and crunchy relish that makes for a feast with bread and cheese. Their Wonderful Salad Dressing won't stay in the fridge for long as it's a multipurpose mayonnaise that adds subtle flavour to almost any dish. And their deliciously decadent Chocolate Indulgence, poured hot or cold over ice cream or stirred into a steaming mug of milk, is pure death by chocolate.

Perfecting these recipes was certainly a feat, but Judi and Lisa complement one another when it comes to being creative. "Judi's not scared to go with her instincts," says Lisa, to which Judi replies, "Lisa is meticulous and makes sure we do everything thoroughly and correctly."

The two friends are particular about giving work to people on their farms. Karoo Moon is thus helping a number of other families. And as the label is growing in popularity, Judi and Lisa will soon be looking to outsource some of their production, thereby creating even more jobs.

"It's exciting to create the product on the stove but hard to put the taste sensation into words on a label," says Judi. Having discovered this, the two enlisted the help of a graphic designer early on and, as a result, their labels conjure up images of the delights that can be discovered in the Karoo.

With the business growing as quickly as it has, are Judi and Lisa setting their sights on a nationwide market? "Yes, but we don't want to become so busy that we lose sight of what we have here," says Judi, alluding to the wonderful lifestyle of a Karoo farming family. Judi and Lisa are thus purposefully limiting themselves to a small number of quality products. Their aim is not to sell huge amounts to stores across the country, but rather to supply niche outlets. Anyway, the logistics of large-scale production in the Karoo would leave them no time to enjoy the Karoo lifestyle. Even so. Karoo Moon has grown well beyond their expectations. They're already supplying The Coral Tree restaurant in Graaff-Reinet, Sprigs Food Shop in Kloof, the Hilton Farm Stall, La Petit Ferine in Franschhoek, an upmarket deli named Andiamo in Cape Town's Waterfront, Greengate in Stellenbosch and Peregrine in Stanford. And they have a growing following in Johannesburg. Perhaps the secret ingredient of their delicious Karoo Moon products is simply the Karoo ethos, which puts trust in the land, the community and friends to reap sweet rewards.