Our Story
A stubborn fruit, a unique human, and one very confident donkey
Our Founder
Dom Logan
Dom Logan was an imagineer and maker with a curiosity for wild things and a soft spot for plants that don't behave. His focus turned to the prickly pear, tough, generous, sharp-edged, and unexpectedly sweet. A fruit perfectly suited to the Karoo, and to craft spirits made with care.
Built on a classic gin base, the prickly pear attracts immediate attention, inspired by the sweet kitsch feel of small-town Karoo shops.
Dom passed away in early 2026. His friend Nicci, and son Bert, are continuing to build his legacy.
Why “The Karoo Prick Company”? Because good things aren't always polite – and Dom liked a clever play on words. The donkey had more than a little to do with it too.
“All good things are wild and free” — Henry David Thoreau
The Karoo & The Prickly Pear
The fruit that won the argument
The Karoo teaches patience. Things grow slowly here. Flavours deepen. And if you rush, you usually get pricked...
It is not a soft place. It is dry, bright, honest and extremely large. Anything that lives here has an argument for existing. Our gin is made from the plant that won that argument outright.
The fruit that refused to leave — the prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) arrived in South Africa uninvited and made itself completely at home. Farmers cursed it for a century. It ignored them, fruited every summer, and waited for someone to notice it tasted extraordinary. Its fruit, vibrant, sweet, guarded by thorns, is the heart of everything we make.
Small batches, long afternoons — everything happens in batches small enough to taste properly and fix quickly. Nothing is rushed, mostly because rushing good things has never worked. Every bottle is crafted with close attention at every step.
The botanicals, juniper, cappia bark, coriander, angelica root, and cardamom, are carefully selected to complement and elevate the delicate prickly pear character.
The donkey, obviously — he appeared one winter, decided the place was his, and has supervised everything since. He earns nothing and disputes this constantly. He is on the label because he insisted.
What We Care About
Three rules, no manifesto
Independent
No group, no board, no marketing department. Just us and the donkey.
Local
A distinct spirit that is quintessentially Karoo - bold, layered, and deeply rooted in South Africa.
Unhurried
Small batches, made when the fruit is ready and not a week before.
Still here. Still slow.
That's the whole story
No reinvention of gin. A good fruit, an obstinate donkey and enough patience to do it properly.
