Our founder, Dr Chantel Elston, has always been in love with outdoor spaces, especially the ocean. So, she followed her lifelong dream and became a marine scientist and conservationist. However, on this journey, she realised that while science is incredibly important, it often means having a very narrow focus and a limited impact. She also realised that our current consumer habits are one of the biggest reasons our shared planet is no longer thriving. So she dreamed bigger and the concept of Intertide was born – a marketplace that champions conscious consumerism, offering only sustainable and ethical products, empowering South Africans to look good and feel good without costing the earth.

We are named after the intertidal zone, where penguins waddle, shorebirds dart, mussels cling, anemones wave, crabs scuttle, and mangroves stand. Where sea collides with land. Places that speak to both change and connection. We’re fully behind the change that the world, and South Africa, is going through. We’re all starting to think about the products we buy and the brands we support. Because we realise we’re connected to it all. We know the plastic we use today will end up in the ocean tomorrow. So Intertide exists to empower conscious choices. There is no one perfect solution, but we can all make small differences with every purchase made. We’ve done all the hard work and found inspiring South African brands that do business differently. Who say no to plastic and yes to natural materials that don’t cost the earth. And we stock hundreds of their products in one central place, making sustainable choices easier for everyone. We’re starting small with a few brands, testing the waters, but we’re wading in deeper and adding more brands as we go!

We want to be more than just a marketplace. We want to be a movement of conscious consumerism in South Africa. Not dictating or judging, but educating and inspiring a nation. Enabling product choices that are not only better for the planet, but for our people in South Africa, supporting brands that create fair work and uplift communities. We want to be a people connected to each other and the mission of recreating a thriving planet. Perhaps even contribute to some systems changes along the way. Because our Mama Earth is hurting, we’re taking too much of the good stuff and putting back too much of the bad stuff. Which is not only bad news for her, but for us all. How do we survive without a healthy home? But, our Mama Earth, she’s resilient. And she will recover if we commit to saving her.