The story of Tolbos began with two friends and a simple yet ambitious idea. In 1988, Hetsie Scheepers was sitting quietly, doing her sewing, when her friend Tolska approached her with a proposal to start a shop together. Hetsie agreed, seeing the potential in combining her sewing with Tolska’s pottery skills. With the help of friends, they found a small space behind the pavilion at the local school, and on 17 August 1988, at 9 AM, Tolbos officially opened its doors to the Patensie community. The grand opening was a joyful celebration, with locals pouring in to support them while enjoying flowing food and drinks.

At first, Hetsie juggled her sewing work daily in a back room, but soon realized the demands of the growing shop were too much to balance. The business grew quickly, though they had no real system in place, resorting to ticking off sales by hand each day. As time went on, Hetsie took over the baking, and the whole family chipped in, often baking late into the night to keep up with demand. Hetsie’s kids and their friends would gather to knead dough and bake, with Hetsie waking up in the middle of the night to manage her small oven that could only bake 6 loaves of bread at a time.

On 9 January 1996, Tolbos moved to its current location. With the move, they finally set up a proper stock-taking system, and the family continued to work tirelessly to grow the business. Tolbos became the only coffee shop in Patensie, and they even started a nursery.

In a bid to bring more visitors to the beautiful Gamtoos Valley, Hetsie and her team launched “Gamtoer,” a monthly tour through Patensie, where tourists could visit local farms, take tractor rides, and pick oranges. This initiative helped attract more visitors to the area. They also started mapping out and advertising the hidden gems of the Baviaanskloof, physically visiting each family and learning the roads, sights, and stories of the region. Today, Tolbos is known as the go-to tourist information center for Baviaanskloof, thanks to Hetsie’s relentless efforts and passion for her community.