Karlien’s story is part entrepreneur, part farmyard chaos, part creative whirlwind — fuelled by a love of people, a love of creating, and the joy of turning ideas into something real.

After 17 years of running her own business, surrounded by staff, kitchens, stock, food, suppliers and customers, life took a sudden and very different turn. What followed was not exactly a quiet new chapter.

These days, there is Bechickened, with chickens, eggs and an ever-growing fascination with exotic breeds; The Butt Hut, turning chicken manure into something genuinely useful; A-OK Drives, keeping cars and drivers moving; Bun Appétit, raising ridiculously cute rabbits that unfortunately also happen to be supper; and Farm Fancy, adding a little pampering to the chaos.

Then there is TLC Catering — because feeding people has always been part of the story — with its growing family of food ventures: What a Pickle, because apparently vegetables needed a business plan too; Spread It!, because spreading the love apparently wasn’t enough — there had to be pâtés and spreads too; Preserve It, making good use of the fruit growing on the farm; Lekke Pantry, keeping bacon, cheese and other favourites affordable in bulk; and one day, Pots of Love, a planned charity-focused project built around feeding and caring for others.

Through all of it, the thread remains the same: Karlien loves people, loves creating, and thrives on serving others. Whether that means feeding someone, helping solve a problem, creating something useful, making them laugh, or giving them something meaningful to take home, that connection has always been the part she loves most — and if she gets to do that while helping support her family, even better.

And somewhere in the middle of chickens, pickles, cars, compost, customers and a frankly unreasonable number of ideas, Karlien’s Library was born — bringing together faith, creativity, stories, entrepreneurship and a heart for creating things that matter.