In the spring of 1899 Green Point Common and many other vacant tracts of land were a mass of tents. The South African War had broken out and thousands of troops were pouring into Cape Town on their way to the North. It was to be a particularly hot summer and many of the officers and men had never been in such a climate before. They sweltered under canvas in the transit camps and the vast number of horses that milled about sent up clouds of dust that were blown into every nook and cranny by the heat-laden South-Easters.
 
Among the many needs that had to be supplied from local resources was that of aerated water and fruit drinks to the military mess at Green Point Common. Two young brothers, Marx and Harry Bashew, knew how to manufacture these products and they put up a proposition to the army authorities which was eagerly accepted.
 
In November of 1899 they rented a 20ft x 20ft room in central Cape Town and moved in their first manufacturing plant which consisted of a tiny hand-operated filling machine and a large galvanized iron bathtub in which bottles were washed. The stock consisted of production materials, a supply of labels and gum together with corks for the bottles themselves. The remaining items of equipment were a cart and horse which were kept busy supplying the little enterprise's one and only customer - the mess at Green Point Common.
 
However, the customer was a freely ordering one and the little machine was kept working at top speed twenty-four hours a day to meet the insatiable demand. The brothers were probably too busy at the time to give a great deal of thought to the future and they certainly could not have forseen the large and flourishing business which was to stem from their efforts. But their products were beginning to build up a name for themselves and before long there was a civilian demand for the beverages with the Bashew Bros. label. 

The first motor vehicle was bought in 1918 to facilitate deliveries to the outlying areas which were to grow into the densely populated northern districts of today. However, the years between the wars were marked by stiff competition in a market where growth was by no means unlimited, a position graphically illustrated by the fact that in the lifetime of the company it has absorbed no fewer than seventeen small concerns.

Passing of the Founders. The founder partners of the firm died within a year of each other. Harry Bashew passed on late in 1947 and was followed by Marx in January, 1949. It is uncommon for a family to be able to claim two men of note in a single generation, but such indeed was the case where Marx and Harry Bashew were concerned. From 1899 to 1947, forty-eight years in all, their partnership was one of affection as well as of minds, and the fine business that bears their name is their memorial. They were public benefactors as well as business men and were mourned by many a good cause.

Post-War Development. Bashew Bros. remains a family concern. Since 1948 the joint managing directors have been Charles Bashew, who succeeded his father Harry, and Felix Heymann, the son-in-law of Marx Bashew. The time had come for another major move by 1951 and in that year the company took occupation of its new R20o,ooo factory that had been erected on a three-acre site in the industrial area off Gunners' Circle. Today, daily output and deliveries are on a big scale, production being on two fully automatic bottling assemblies of modern American manufacture. Equipment is under the regular inspection of the South African Bureau of Standards and four products are bottled under the S.A.B.S. mark. The delivery fleet, in turn, has expanded down the years to twenty-two trucks that service over 3,500 outlets in the greater Peninsula.   Recently vehicles were equipped with very high frequency radio for inter­communication and instant contact with the factory, a system that has considerably facilitated urgent deliveries to customers.

Expansions. The war ended in 1902 and Marx and Harry Bashew switched activities to the peace-time market. Before long a new filling machine was imported and a larger wagon was acquired that had to be pulled by two horses, as opposed to its one-horse predecessor. In 1903 larger premises were rented in Aspeling Street.  Shops were soon being supplied over a wider area and the firm began building its present-day reputation for quality and service. Two further moves still could not accommodate the need for more elbow-room so, in 1913, Bashew Bros. put up their own factory, a landmark in the Cape Town of its day, in Searle Street. Extended and altered from time to time, it served the firm for the next thirty-eight years.

A popular line produced by the company is Bashew Bros.' own range of 'Kwench' carbonated cool drinks for which South African fruit juices are used exclusively. It has been consistent company policy to use local materials wherever possible and today imports comprise only a small fraction of the great quantity of ingredients used.

Since 1955 the firm has negotiated franchise agreements with three world famous overseas groups of mineral water manufacturers, thereby enabling the consumer to enjoy products that embody the latest recipes and techniques developed in the United States and Europe. The first franchise secured by Bashew Bros. was granted by the Seven-Up Export Corporation of New York for the manufacture here of the popular '7-Up' product. This success was followed by another when John G. Webb of London granted the firm the right to manufacture their internationally known 'Webb's Tonic Water', the hat-trick being completed when Bashew Bros. was licensed to bottle locally 'Cydrax', the much sought after non-alcoholic beverage produced by Whiteways Cider Company of Devon.

Association with such prominent American and British manufacturers implies the most exacting demands in the production of consistently high quality beverages. In addition to careful scientific checks in the factory, it is standard practice to send weekly samples by air to the laboratories of the Seven-Up Corporation of America and to Webbs of London so as to ensure the conformity of local output with world-wide standards.

Those Who Produce the Goods. From the early days of this family business, a cornerstone of policy has been to promote sound, friendly relationships with the employees and the Management has always taken a personal interest in their welfare.  Long service is indicative of fair treatment and it stands to the credit of Bashew Bros. that the majority of its staff and factory force of over one hundred have been in the service of the company for the whole of their working lives.

So as to ensure efficiency and accord between workers and their jobs, the firm now employs the services of an industrial psychologist to assist in the selection of new applicants.   Staff training and refresher courses for older employees form part of the constant activity in the organization and dis­cussion groups lead to a valuable interchange of ideas. Sales films and recorded lectures supplement routine instruction and printed handbooks are available for study.

All employees, other than migrant African labour which is ineligible, are members of a generous group life pension and insurance fund which is a major contributing factor to the stability of the company's staff and labour force.

Present and Future. Public tastes change, but the refreshment to be found in a pleasant cool drink remains a constant factor in the lives of those who visit or live in a busy city or town.  The firm that is imaginative and adaptable, that is scrupulous about quality and is consequently in a position to deliver the right goods at the right time, will continue to flourish in this highly competitive industry. The record of the past sixty-four years shows that Bashew Bros. is such a firm and their pleasant beverages will no doubt be found on the shelves of the shops, stores and homes of the Cape Town and Peninsula districts of tomorrow in ever-increasing numbers.