Fairfield Mountain Cottages is situated on a working fruit farm in the Ceres Valley, the Western Cape. This is a place where guests can reconnect with the natural world whilst uplifting the local community and protecting the environment.

Fairfield Mountain Cottages has shown wonderful investment in community and staff projects. For example, finance was made available to a staff choir to buy musical equipment to start their own choir – a desire identified through Fairfield’s “Dreams” project, which invites any and all staff to share a dream that the business might be able to help them realise. Funds made available for musical equipment are being repaid by the staff members’ efforts in cutting down alien trees on the farm (which is then sold as fire wood to guests) as well as charging small fees to neighbouring farmers and workers to come to concerts put on by the choir in a freshly painted community centre donated by Fairfield!

Fairfield Mountain Cottages launched a knitting and crocheting project for women living on the farm. Fairfield buys back the patchwork cushions, cloths, etc created by the “budding” crafters, the best of which are offered for sale to guests as well. Staff also use recycled materials to create containers and packets for seedlings as well as sweet packets – also made available for sale to guests.

Fairfield Mountain Cottages’ annual plan includes cutting down pine and black wattle trees on site. In addition, there is systematic education on the environment and conservation for staff and their families as well as for guests. Fairfield implemented its The Future Forest @ Fairfield concept; the objective is to plant 100 indigenous trees around the cottages over the next five years. Trees and money are donated by guests and Fairfield Mountain Cottages is tracking the growth yearly.