Ah Franschhoek my love… I’ve grown to love this little Cape Winelands town so much over the past two years. Franschhoek has so much variety to offer visitors – from award winning wines and restaurants to the Wine Tram and even game drives! The most recent undertaking of the Franschhoek Wine Valley is Hoekcoin. Not to be confused with a new cryptocurrency, Hoekcoin is simply a rewards programme to help boost local tourism within the Franschhoek Valley.
Local is Lekker with Hoekcoin!
The highly anticipated ‘I Love My Hoek’ campaign was launched in November in partnership with SnapScan. The I Love My Hoek campaign forms part of the Franschhoek Restaurant Appeal, which aims to raise enough money to help those affected establishments in the region, who have felt the biggest impact of the recent restrictions and more so the COVID-19 pandemic. The rewards-based campaign allows participating businesses in the region to reward their customers for their support by giving them R200 Hoekcoin in return for spending R400 or more with the SnapScan app. Visitors can only spend these rewards at other participating businesses, which means all the Hoekcoin earned during the campaign is distributed back into the local economy. Proving that local is indeed lekker and that supporting local is most definitely the way to go!
Putting the Hoekcoin Rewards Programme to the Test
We visited Allée Bleue wine estate for their bistro’s popular picnic and of course to put the Hoekcoin to the test and see for ourselves how well it works. The very first positive sign for us was when the staff immediately knew what we were referring to when we mentioned the Hoekcoin programme and that we would be using it. There have been many instances where establishments have attempted rewards programmes but the inner workings of the process were not communicated to the staff and there’s honestly nothing worse (or more embarrassing) for the visitors when this happens. So well done to Allée Bleue for giving their staff a heads-up about the Hoekcoin as this is definitely the most important part in my opinion!
I honestly believe that the Allée Bleue picnic is one of the most generous picnic offerings in the Franschhoek Wine Valley. That might be a bold statement to make but the photos clearly speak for themselves! After the indulging in the delicious picnic food, we took a leisurely stroll through the beautiful Allée Bleue gardens which even includes a tranquil river if you’re up for a short walk.
Then it was time for the moment of truth; paying for lunch with the Hoekcoin. Let me just say right off the bat that the process was seamless. As soon as I opened the camera on the Snapscan app, it immediately picked up the Allée Bleue QR code which was perfectly positioned at the payment counter.
How it works:
For the best experience, update your Snapscan app on your Apple, Android or Huawei device via their respective App Stores.
To Spend Hoekcoin:
1. Scan the code to pay with SnapScan at participating businesses.
2. Your Hoekcoin can be used as your payment method.
3. If your bill exceeds the amount of Hoekcoin you have, the remaining amount can be paid using the bank card loaded in the app.
And there you have it , easy-peasy! Also, let’s be honest during the festive season it’s much safer and far less worrying to go cashless when out and about. The Franschhoek Hoekcoin programme definitely gets my stamp of approval and you can happily participate with the knowledge that local businesses are benefiting and able to keep their doors open.
** I was approached by the Franschhoek Wine Valley to be a I Love My Hoek campaign ambassador for the day to help spread the word about the Hoekcoin rewards programme.
