Business

The South African billionaire’s wife who built a luxury lifestyle and food empire

Daily Investor • 20 November 2025

Karen Roos, the wife of billionaire businessman Koos Bekker, created South Africa’s most exclusive lifestyle brand, Babylonstoren, and is behind many world-class hotels.

Roos and Bekker shared a love for journalism. While at Stellenbosch University, he was the editor of the student newspaper, which is where they met.

Although Roos was born and raised in Pretoria, she also studied at Stellenbosch University, where she developed a passion for journalism.

In the eighties, she served as fashion editor of Glamour magazine in New York and later launched Red magazine in South Africa.

She always had a passion for interior decorating, which is clearly seen in Babylonstoren’s distinctive aesthetic and unobtrusive luxury.

The interiors at the Babylonstoren estate are a blend of simple, modern furnishings and antique pieces, with stylish touches.

Her interior decorating skills were developed over the course of several decades. While she was a journalist, she produced Huis-Huis.

Huis-Huis was a decor programme she created for SABC 2 in collaboration with fellow decor journalist Annemarie Meintjes.

In 2003, they again collaborated to publish South, a definitive look at South African attitudes and approaches to interior decor.

She received local and international acclaim for this book. It was widely sold through prestigious decor and designer outlets in Europe.

Roos also authored numerous other books, including Outdoor Living, Agtstyle, Eight Styles, Buite, and Fast Decor: Creative Ideas for Instant Decorating.

In 2005, Roos was appointed as the editor of the leading South African decor magazine, Elle Decoration.

Her extensive background in decor and design served her well for the next chapter in her career, where she created luxury hotels and lifestyle brands.

Babylonstoren becomes a top luxury brand

In 2007, Koos Bekker acquired Babylonstoren, a wine estate located in the Drakenstein Valley of the Cape Winelands.

Babylonstoren was founded in 1692 and is one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms. However, when Bekker bought it, it was not in top condition.

There were positives, however. The historic buildings, including the traditional H-form house, storerooms, and other outbuildings, were well preserved.

This formed the foundation to realise Karen Roos’ vision of creating a historical recreation and self-sufficient working farm that also operated as a luxury hotel.

The goal was to infuse the 18th-century structure with 21st-century design and a contemporary, minimalist aesthetic.

She commissioned French architect Patrice Taravella to design the garden’s layout, and he created one of the best-known gardens in South Africa at Babylonstoren.

The garden comprises 15 clusters spanning vegetable areas, stone and pome fruits, nuts, citrus, berries, bees, herbs, ducks, chickens, and a prickly pear maze.

Every one of the more than 300 varieties of plants in the garden is edible or has medicinal value. The fruit and vegetables from the garden are harvested all year round.

Today, the Babylonstoren gardens are globally renowned and visited by thousands of tourists each month.

Apart from the estate itself, Roos created a wide range of Babylonstoren products, encompassing everything from basic food items to lifestyle products.

People can buy a wide range of items, including biscuits, chocolates, nuts, wine, linen, kitchenware, soaps, body washes, creams, and home fragrances.

Babylonstoren even produces its own biltong, using the finest cuts of beef, which are marinated overnight in vinegar and a blend of their own spices.

Roos also launched an online store that offers country-wide delivery, which means people across the country can buy and enjoy Babylonstoren goods.

Babylonstoren sections have also begun to roll out in many stores and forecourts, making it easier for South Africans to access these high-end products.

The Babylonstoren brand is associated with world-class quality and luxury, a hallmark of Karen Roos’ creations.

Roos and Bekker are behind many other world-class hotels

Roos, in partnership with Bekker, did not stop at creating one of South Africa’s most exclusive destinations and lifestyle brands.

They are also behind other luxury hotels, including the The Newt in Somerset and Vignamaggio between Florence and Siena.

The couple also owns Over-Amstel Boerderij near Amsterdam, and The Story of Emily in St Ive, Cornwall.

Their latest creation is Blou in Keurboomstrand, a new addition to Bekker’s luxury estate offerings in South Africa.

Roos and Bekker’s estate in the United Kingdom, The Newt in Somerset, is also the sponsor of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The sponsorship aligned with The Newt’s belief in the power of gardening for good, and supporting the charitable work of the Royal Horticultural Society.

The Newt’s Fine Cyder was designated the official cyder of the show, and the Babylonstoren Mourvèdre Rosé was the official rosé.

The Newt hosted an exclusive, star-studded Gala Party at the show, serving their estate’s produce and official drinks to kick off the event.