June 18, 2025
Eco-entrepreneurs (or as they jokingly refer to themselves, hustlers) Sam Christianson and Thomas Pretorius recently installed an Aerobin Home Composter at the organic Oranjezicht City Farm in Cape Town. Their company, Earth Again, aims to simplify composting by selling this Australian-designed, Indian-manufactured Aerobin in South Africa. On a sunny Monday morning, Studio Degens and Ian Engelbrecht join the Earth Again guys for a little check-in at the farm. “We’re very much in conversation with our customers,” Tom says. The Aerobin will save the farm time and space. Inside the bin, things are heating up, which is a good sign. Onwards and upwards.
•••
Earth Again @earthagainco
Studio Degens @studio_degens
Ian Engelbrecht @image.ian
To start, a question from one of our previous features, Ian Engelbrecht: If you could keep only one memory for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Sam: Dang that’s a hard question, thanks Ian! If I had to pick one, it would probably be the memory of catching my first wave at 11 years old. Surfing has taken me all over the world and played a pivotal role in my life. It’s a constant thought in the back of my mind...
Tom: What an opener! I grew up on a farm in Paarl and Sunday lunches were a big part of my life. My main memory would probably be of a family lunch at the farm on a crisp spring day, with some home cooking and the dogs running around. It's a pretty idyllic memory for me, and something I would also like to have and foster one day.
How did you meet, and what’s the Earth Again origin story?
Sam: Tom and I met in 2021. We worked at an iced-tea stand at the OZCF market called Rooibar. The team involved were always looking for new ways to reduce the waste we created during shifts, and this aligned in such a way that led Tom and I to where we are today with Earth Again.
What does your business name, Earth Again, mean to you?
Sam: It represents life and our relationship to the Earth, and to soil. It’s all pretty circular. One day, when we’re long gone, we’ll all return to the Earth in one way or another.
What’s the most common misconception about composting?
Sam: That it has to be stinky and messy. With the Aerobin system, composting is as simple as throwing your food waste into your regular refuse bin, and the best part is that it uses natural principles to ensure the days of compost ‘stinking’ are long gone. Another bonus of composting your food waste is that your refuse bin never stinks!
What’s the tastiest thing you’ve grown in your garden?
Sam: Last Summer I grew Blue Keyes tomatoes that were pretty delicious! I’ve always struggled with tomatoes, so I was stoked to get a couple.
Tom: When I was younger I grew and sold runner beans on the farm. I don’t know if it was the happy memories of growing and selling that made it taste so good, or if they actually did. But from what I can remember they were some pretty damn tasty beans.
Where are you when you’re not working? / What are your hobbies of choice?
Sam: You’ll find me at the beach, either surfing or hanging out with friends.
Tom: You’ll probably find me just about anywhere. I see myself as a jack of all trades (master of none), so I'll either be doing woodwork, on the beach, trying to thrift something I never knew I needed, or at home tending to my little garden.
What culture are you consuming and enjoying at the moment?
Sam: I recently read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. In the first couple of pages, it says something along the lines of “the choice you make, between forgiving and hating, can become the story of your life”. The book is full of philosophical gems, and it had a pretty significant impact on me. On the music side, I’ve been listening to Little Simz on repeat for the last couple of days.
Tom: I DJ a little bit in my spare time, and the urge to find new music comes in waves. So at the moment I am enjoying digging for some groovy tunes that I can add to my arsenal.
You’re going away for the weekend and you can only pack one top and one bottom from Eat Dust. Which do you choose, and why?
Sam: My pants of choice would be the Cargo Pants A-Gi in grape leaf. My top of choice would be the navy Western Sportswear Hoodie. My go-to when choosing clothes is comfort, and these look pretty comfortable.
Tom: First up, I would choose the Zen Pants: they have some serious bagginess and comfort to them. I would feel comfortable cruising around the house in these, but could also dress them up and wear them out. On the top, I would wear the Mechanic Shirt. I really dig button-down shirts with long or short pants. Also, this on top of a plain T-shirt is my style.
What should we ask the next person we profile for this journal?
Sam and Tom: What’s something that you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t yet? What’s stopping you?
If you want to learn about the benefits and best practices of composting, visit Earth Again's website. https://www.earthagain.co.za/
Or get in touch with Sam and Tom on @earthagainco
•••