The Upper Millstone

Perched on the hill just above the Hilton Village Shopping Centre is one of Hilton’s little gems. The Upper Millstone is an artisan bakery and espresso bar with a difference. The organic atmosphere of this owner-run business immediately makes you feel at home. The amazing array of baked goods is prepared in full view — there’s dough, there’s flour, there are cookie cutters… there’s the smell of coffee (really good coffee).

In spite of the relaxed environment it is clear that a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes. There is a story here and I am eager to chat to one of the owners, Josh Pickering, to find out more.

Josh and his wife Hannelie moved to Hilton about 7 years ago after they got married. Initially they owned an indoor rock climbing business in Pietermaritzburg. Josh says he has a tendency to turn his hobbies into businesses. Baking has always been one of Josh’s passions. As time passed he noticed a growing demand for artisanal-style baked goods and realised that there was a definite business opportunity there.

With the product and the passion in place the next problem was finding the perfect venue. Josh says they looked at a few options, including the railway station buildings, but nothing seemed to work out. The little building on the hill, which was at the time a pizzeria, had caught Josh’s eye… but it was occupied. The pizzieria closed down and Josh knew he had to make a plan to buy the building.

At this point Josh and Hannelie realised they needed to make the business more than just a bakery. They thought along the lines of a deli but the idea just didn’t sit right. Enter the “other half of the business” — Dreyer Van Huyssteen, Josh’s good friend, fellow rock-climber and a barista who is beyond passionate about making the perfect cup of coffee. (It actually seems insulting to call Dreyer’s creations “coffee” — but you will have to try it for yourself). Josh and Dreyer formed a partnership and the hard work to raise the money to get the business started begun. It took two years for them to secure their premises. They then set to work renovating the building. In true entrepreneurial fashion, Josh and Dreyer tackled the task themselves.

On the first of October 2016 Hilton was treated to the grand opening of – “The Upper Millstone”. Josh admits that it was a little crazy in the beginning because they had a lot to learn. “The people of Hilton seemed very understanding, ” he reminisces.

Recipes had to be perfected and power outages overcome. Co-incidentally the municipality launched a process to replace Hilton’s old water pipes which added water supply problems to the mix. Josh says Hilton’s damp climate wreaks havoc with the pastry making process so he soon learnt that air conditioning was vital. Surprisingly undaunted by all these obstacles, Josh and Dreyer continued to grow the business and hone their skills. Josh confesses that he was often in the bakery in the early hours of the morning, preparing offerings for the day ahead. The workload was becoming almost too much to bear. Josh realised at this point that he needed to employ extra staff to ensure the survival of his business. He says this has made a huge difference to his business and his personal life.

The business has continued to grow and Josh is hugely grateful to the Hilton community who have been so supportive. If you haven’t had the pleasure of popping into this charming spot — I can only recommend that you drive up that little road and check it out for yourself. Its a wonderful testament to what hard work and passion can achieve.

Oh and what is the story behind the wall full of guitars? Josh says they ended up with a blank wall for which they didn’t have a specific plan. They had no money left for fancy decorating so Josh hung up his guitar there. Dreyer’s brother then gave them another guitar and they hung up a sign saying, “Any collection has to start somewhere.” People got the idea and slowly the collection grew as friends, family and customers added guitars to the wall. Josh even made one of the guitars himself. “We are still looking for more! ” he says — so if you have a spare guitar lying around…

Check out The Upper Millstone’s facebook page to find out all their details.

Hello Josh!

Now that you have read his story here is a little about Josh himself.

Josh and Hannelie have an 2 year old son, Nathan.

Hannelie owns a business called Computer Wise which helps people learn to use their computers. The facebook page is here.

Favourite Things About Living in Hilton? The country lifestyle, the mist, the scenery and the amazing community.

Least Favourite Things About Living in Hilton? (Electricity issues aside!)? Josh says there isn’t much he doesn’t like about Hilton. However, he does feel a bit of concern for the very large amount of development that is going on. Perhaps this should be a bit better managed?

Josh and Hannelie live in a house which they built themselves out of earth … yes like the mud stuff. Josh has promised to share that story another day so look out for it!

I hope you enjoyed meeting one of Hilton’s amazing businesses and the characters behind it. I know I did.