About Us
We are inspired by so many talented people out there who make the most unique and beautiful items but don´t reach many potential customers due to lack of opportunity or business and marketing acumen to do so.
We provide some space for them and inform the customer about the individual behind the product they purchase.
Hanny Rücker and Bill Brown, owners at Ukuthula – a very unique Art & Craft concept store and accommodation.
Ukuthula means “place of peace” and is the realisation of a lifelong dream for this zealous and creative pair.
Hanny is German and spent 13 years as a surgical nurse in Germany and Switzerland. As a naturally curious and tenacious individual, Hanny was lucky enough to travel the world and expand her horizons. Her amazing career took her to various European NGO locations throughout the world where she spent 23 years in emergency and development programs. Sudan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Kenya, Philippines and other exotic locations is where she worked for the most vulnerable people.
In 2007 she decided to move to Phalaborwa in the Limpopo province and managed a successful 4 star Guesthouse. The transition was effortless as Hanny’s deep understanding and passion for people, culture and service finally found a home. In 2012 she planted her roots in in Kampersrus, a village at the footstep of the small Drakensberg mountains near the bushveld town and started Ukuthula with her life partner Bill.
Bill spent most of his career in the mining industry and was fortunate enough to develop his creative side as the time went on. Moving to Hoedspruit was an easy choice as the wilderness and beauty of the environment inspired him to launch this creative concept. The appeal in the concept was not only the opportunity to showcase local and regional work, but also to provide empowerment opportunities. A ‘window to the market’, so to speak and this is what they have managed with a measure of success.