Community, Craft & Natural Materials: Inside South Yeaster with Brode Gleeson

From WhatsApp group of 20 to Cape Town's dirty bread cult — Brode Gleeson turned lockdown into South Yeaster, a thriving sourdough movement that's become a cornerstone of Hout Bay's artisan food scene.

When Brode Gleeson pulls on his Ballo frames in the morning — the Barnes in Matte Kelp or the Owl in Cork — there's something fitting about the choice. Two materials from nature, just like the inputs into his craft he has been nurturing for years.

"A big part of joy in my life comes from nature," Brode says. "And I've always loved the mountains and the sea coming from Cape Town. So it's an easy pick to fall in love with all the browns, greens and blues."

From WhatsApp Group to Dirty Bread Cult

Five years ago, during lockdown, South Yeaster started as something small. Just a WhatsApp group of 20 people who wanted fresh bread when the world had stopped moving.

"Community," Brode says when asked what fueled that optimistic pivot. "It started very small but once it started growing it snowballed pretty fast. It's actually insane to think 5 years ago we were baking for only just a WhatsApp group of 20 people."

Today, South Yeaster is a thriving business in Hout Bay, a gathering space where people connect over naturally fermented bread. It's become what Brode calls "a hive for people to connect and share."

The Beauty of Being Slow

There's something Brode wants you to know about himself: he's slow.

"You can ask all my friends, I'm pretty slow when it comes to things," he says. "Like I tend to speak slow, think slow, act slow. But baking has allowed me to embrace the beauty of that."

In a world that demands faster, quicker, more efficient, Brode has found his craft in something that refuses to be rushed. Sourdough takes time. Natural fermentation happens on its own schedule. You can't hurry the process without compromising the result.

"I've begun to love mindful things," Brode explains. "Things that feel like they've been through a lot of intentional thought and revision. Having all my senses triggered by something is pretty much my biggest green flag."

African Creativity: We're F#cking Unique

When you ask Brode about Cape Town's exploding artisan food scene — where craft and African ingredients are being celebrated in new ways — he doesn't hold back.

"We grow up in a pretty raw place," he says. "I've travelled and worked in Europe and nothing reflects Africa better than its people's resilience and ability to grit it out. And I think we're all starting to be super proud of that. Like we're f$cking unique if you think about it."

There's an energy building in South African creativity right now. It's not about copying what's happening elsewhere — it's about celebrating what's here. The ingredients. The approaches. The resilience that comes from building something meaningful in a place that doesn't always make it easy.

Brode sees this optimism reflected across creative industries in Cape Town. From design to food to craft, there's a generation of makers embracing their unique perspective and showing the world what African creativity looks like when it's unapologetically itself.

Small Businesses: The Fabric of Change

South Yeaster isn't just a bakery. It's a community hub. A gathering place. A connector.

"Small businesses are the fabric of positive change," Brode says. "Without them, we just have pieces of string that don't connect anything. Our business is a hive for people to connect and share. It's a pretty giving community. I think that's incredible to see and I don't know how often you see that in large corporate structures."

Then he drops this: "And a small local business is the single best thing you can do for the environment (it's got the lowest footprint out of any business model)."

It's not preachy. It's just fact. When you buy from a small business, you're supporting local makers, reducing transportation emissions, strengthening community ties, and keeping money circulating locally. The ripple effects are real.

The Philosophy of Slow, Intentional Craft

What Brode has built with South Yeaster mirrors a broader movement toward craft that honors process over speed. Whether it's naturally fermented bread or handcrafted eyewear made from cork and bio-acetate, there's something powerful about choosing things made with intention.

"I think it's possibly my favourite thing about being a baker," Brode reflects. "Baking has allowed me to embrace the beauty of being slow. I've begun to love mindful things."

You can taste it in the bread. You can see it in the frames. You can feel it in the community that gathers around both.

Eyes Open. Minds Open.

Brode Gleeson is part of a generation of Cape Town makers who are building something meaningful. They're not chasing trends or copying what worked elsewhere. They're trusting the process, honoring their materials, and building community along the way. And they are proud of it.

Yeah. We are.

Explore Ballo's plant based collections — Barnes in Matte Kelp and Owl in Cork available at balloeyewear.com