Waterfront to get Market on the Wharf

Barcelona has La Boqueria and Paris boasts Marché International de Rungis, but Cape Town, despite all its artisan fare, designer cuisine and Eurocentric guile, has yet to conjure up a central market on par with its counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere. 

In December 2012, however, that’s all about to change. Thanks to Ruth Munitz, a well-seasoned entrepreneur, the Mother City is soon to be home to the V&A Waterfront ‘Market on the Wharf’, a massive, produce-driven shopping space that’s set to operate inside the Waterfront’s historic Power Station (formerly the Musica flagship store) adjacent to the Nobel Laureate Square.

“I found it weird that we have the people and the produce, yet we don’t have the market,” a frank Ruth told the ‘CapeTowner’, a city centre community newspaper. “When you look at how market culture has grown in Cape Town, you see the need for a big market.”

Inspired by her international travels – when touring abroad her and her husband visit food markets instead of museums and the standard sightseeing highlights, Ruth looks to create a space where shoppers can interact directly with the producers and purveyors of high quality products, bespoke goods, the city’s best-kept culinary secrets and more. The focus will be less on the prepared goods that so often frequent market shelves, and will be more on fresh food. 

The warehouse has space for 60 vendors, and Ruth and her committee will be choosing retailers based on set selection criteria; pricing and the overall diversity of goods are also points that the team will take into consideration.

Thus far, a fishmonger, a butcher and a host of fresh fruit and vegetable vendors have made commitments to the market. 

What’s more, specialised services aimed at facilitating shoppers’ experience will also be part and parcel of the indoor city centre market. A pop-up kitchen will feature interactive culinary adventures and a basket and ticketing service will enable market-goers to leave their purchases with a member of market staff so that they can later retrieve them with their vehicle.

The bottom line? The Waterfront central market will soon provide Capetonians with an alternative to winding supermarket queues and mysteriously-sourced fruit and vegetables. With the advent of the shopping space, foodies can find out exactly where their food comes from and how it is produced, or, as Ruth says, “the market will work on a ‘from farm to fork’ philosophy.”

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