Real Meals, Chic Shacks

PHOTOS Craig Fraser WORDS Chantél Hans

Inspired by contemporary South African life with a strong focus on indigenous talent, Quivertree is a proudly independent niche publishing house started by graphic designer Libby Doyle and photographer Craig Fraser in 2001. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about them.

1. Quivertree was founded after all major South African book publishers rejected Craig and Libby’s first book, Shack Chic. In fact, the pair mortgaged their respective houses in order to make it possible.

2. Rights to Shack Chic have since been sold to Thames & Hudson after 11 000 copies were sold in South Africa.

3. Craig and Libby ran Quivertree as a “hobby” for seven years until, in 2007, they realised the need to focus on it entirely.

4. They have published 35 books to date, with a predominant focus on food and decor.

5. Quivertree has won awards for most of its cookbook titles, with Prickly Pears and Pomegranates and Firewater, South African Brandy winning their categories at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

6. Authors include celebrity chef Reuben Riffel, award-winning chef Franck Dangereux from The Foodbarn, Tina Bester from Queen of Tarts and Prof Tim Noakes with his current phenomenon The Real Meal Revolution (see page 20).

7. The low-carb, high-fat meal plan prescribed by Prof Tim Noakes in The Real Meal Revolution has been so big that it had sold 60 000 copies after just five months of the book being launched.

8. Craig has photographed for all the publications so far, bar Sharp Sharp: South Africa by Ed Suter and Stellenberg by Alain Proust.

9. Mud Chic is Libby’s favourite book: “I love Craig’s photos and the pared-down layout.” While Karoo Kitchen is tops for Craig, “because it has soul, it’s practical, and it has history, culture and beauty”.

10. The name Quivertree was inspired by a trip to Namibia where the indigenous succulent tree survives the hardship of desert conditions. It’s also known as the kokerboom.

quivertreepublications.com