In recent years, the market has presented us with potholders made from a wide variety of materials, unfortunately mostly plastic, and in a wide variety of shapes. However, many kitchen enthusiasts are returning to the good old potholders that grandma used to crochet and use herself. On the one hand, this is certainly due to the DIY wave, which has given knitting and crocheting a real boost. On the other hand, natural materials can be used for these potholders. In this case, it is natural cotton that a small group of South African women crochet at home and by hand.

Under the Spaza label, Julia Schaffer develops functional items for everyday use that can be made from regional raw materials and - more importantly - by hand. This is because they are produced by South African women in Manenberg, a town near Cape Town that is known and notorious for its high crime rate. In the Cape Flats of Cape Town, as the townships of Cape Town are also known, it is sometimes so dangerous that it is better not to leave your home. The women who crochet and knit for Spaza don't have to, as the materials are delivered to their homes and the finished items are collected later. This gives them complete flexibility to work whenever they have the time and look after their children and relatives at the same time. And they are spared the sometimes immensely long journeys into the city. They are paid in cash on site, which enables the women to earn their own small income, independent of their husbands. They also have health insurance through this work and pay into a small pension fund.
In South Africa, "spaza stores" are usually referred to as small informal stores, which mostly sell everyday necessities in private rooms in the townships. They were created out of necessity, as the distances to the city or the nearest supermarket became too long as the settlements grew.

Certain manufacturing steps are carried out by hand. Slight dimensional and color deviations may therefore occur.