By: Yolande du Toit
From a humble initiative HandeVat to the explosion of Vokkies shops, this father and son concept is taking flight. During the Covid pandemic the then 16-year-old Wedrich Wessels saw a gap in the market and grabbed it with both hands.
HandeVat, a family-orientated community platform online shop, was developed by Wedrich. “I was a student at Paul Roos Gymnasium and as I could not attend school or play cricket, my passion, I exploited a new opportunity, driven by my concern regarding unemployment during the pandemic.” The concept was an online shop that creates a platform where merchants who usually exhibit at informal markets can advertise and sell their products. It gave artists and homemakers the opportunity to sell top-quality handmade and homemade products.
Wedrich says, “I always had big dreams. On a trip to the Karoo we discussed it and I could picture the business. So my father, Jacques and I, opened Vokkies, my dad knows how to make “geelvet” biltong and a “new movement” took flight. We have their own “language”. Checkers became “Chekkies” and Binnelanders became “Binnies”. This was the birth then of “Vokkies”.”
The first shop, “Vokkies my Blahhh” opened on 10 May 2025. Both the quality and taste of our biltong (geelvet makoeloes) are very popular among South Africans. Jacques believes that there is hope for the youth who isn’t able to or don’t want to study. Wedrich is an example of how tools such as YouTube, online courses and the support and advice from family and his dad helped him succeed in making his dreams a reality. “From wanting to make spices we ended up making biltong. We also make droëwors (each with its own humorous name) and a clothing range.” Today they have five branches, one in Bellville and Gordons Bay, two in Somerset West and two in Bloemfontein. They are also in the process of opening two shops in Pretoria. “We believe that one should use your talents. Parents should take their child’s hand to create job opportunities for themselves and others.” Time and again Wedrich has proven that a dream without a date remains a dream and his dream most definitely has a date.
