About us
A hobby that got out of hand.
Pepper Mills For Africa started in 2005 as a hobby business — and today it's South Africa's largest supplier of CrushGrind® mechanisms, having supplied thousands of happy homes with top-quality handmade pepper mills. Along the way we've also trained many woodworkers to design and turn mills of their own.
Our dad, Piet Smith, was a retired banker with a passion for supplying the very best pepper, salt and spice grinding mechanisms to the African continent. He founded Pepper Mills For Africa in 2005 as a hobby — and then it got out of hand! It became a delightfully hectic little business that still gives us all great pleasure.
“Every day is Friday.”
Our dad passed away on 1 January 2021, and his spirit lives on in every mill we make.
Charlie Letsoalo joined us in 2009. He started as our gardener, and our father asked him to help with sanding. Piet taught him the craft, and today Charlie is a master craftsman in his own right — turning mills and passing his skills on to others.
