Tembo Tusk Company Profile
I first met the Tembo Tusk team almost a decade ago at Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona. Luisa and I were strolling away from the Overland Journal stand as the early morning sun peeked through the trees, a delicious smoke floating in the air. Our South African noses lifted to the breeze, and our instincts kicked in. Boerewors!! For the uninitiated, boerewors is a South African-style sausage that has a distinct smell, flavor, and texture, and there are only two ways to cook it: at night on the braai (BBQ) or in the morning in a skottle (the skottle’s origins trace back to South African farmers repurposing old harrow discs as outdoor cooking tools, providing a practical solution for preparing meals while working in the fields). We joined the khaki-clad throng of zombies in a dusty shuffle to the Tembo Tusk stand, where Jerry, the founder and owner of Tembo Tusk, chuckled and cooked up a storm, surrounded by his innovative creations, the center of the overlanding world. Salivating, we chatted to Jerry and his wife, Nohline, about the Tembo Tusk Skottle, a variation of the South African original, and a friendship was born that has lasted the distance, boerie roll in hand. Every time we attend an overland event, we know that, eventually, we will bump into Jerry, his smile, his family, his excellent overlanding solutions, and, of course, the skottle and her temptations. Ever curious, we asked Jerry a few questions about the origins of his family business and their vision for the future.
