1. Who We Are

1.1 Tastes of Hermanus is a food and wine experience business operated by Susan Mann, a sole trader, at 9 Sandpiper, Hermanus, 7200, South Africa (“we”, “us” or “our”).

1.2 We respect your privacy and handle your personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”). This Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the rights you have.

1.3 Susan Mann is our Information Officer and is responsible for how we handle personal information. You can contact her at susan@tastesofhermanus.co.za or +27 78 239 9512.

2. What Information We Collect

2.1 We collect only the information we need. Depending on how you deal with us, this may include:

• Contact details: your name, email address, phone or WhatsApp number, and country of residence.
• Booking details: the Experience and date you book, the number and names of Guests, and your correspondence with us.
• Payment details: proof of payment and, if a refund is due, the banking details needed to pay it. We do not store card details.
• Guest needs: dietary requirements, allergies, access or mobility needs, relevant medical information, and whether any Guest is under 18.
• Photographs and video: images taken during Experiences.
• Feedback: reviews, comments and complaints you send us.
• Website information: basic technical data collected when you visit our Website, as explained in clause 9.

2.2 We collect this information directly from you, or from the person who made the booking on your behalf.

3. Special and Sensitive Information

3.1 Some information you share with us is treated as special personal information under POPIA. This includes health information, such as allergies or medical conditions, and dietary requirements linked to religious belief, such as halaal or kosher.

3.2 We use this information only to keep you safe and to cater for your needs during your Experience. By sharing it with us, you consent to us using it for this purpose and sharing it with the Partner Venues and guide involved in your Experience.

3.3 If you book on behalf of other Guests, you confirm that you have their permission to share their information with us.

4. Children’s Information

4.1 Children are welcome on our Experiences. We collect a child’s information only from their parent or guardian, and only what we need, such as their name, age and dietary needs.

4.2 By providing a child’s information, the parent or guardian consents to us using it for the purposes set out in this Policy.

5. Why We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• respond to enquiries and manage your booking;
• confirm payments and process refunds;
• arrange your Experience with Partner Venues, and with any guide or transport provider involved;
• cater for dietary, access and safety needs;
• contact you about your booking, including any changes caused by weather or other circumstances;
• deal with feedback and complaints;
• promote our business, where you have agreed or not objected, as set out in clauses 7 and 8; and
• meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations.

We will not use your information for any purpose that is not compatible with these purposes without your consent.

6. Who We Share Your Information With

6.1 We share only the information needed, and only with:

• Partner Venues: restaurants, wine farms and producers hosting your Experience, usually your name, group size and dietary or access needs;
• Guides: any other guide hosting your Experience in Susan’s place;
• Transport providers: if you ask us to arrange transport for you;
• Service providers: such as our email, website hosting, cloud storage and accounting providers, who help us run our business; and
• Authorities: where the law requires it, or in an emergency to protect someone’s health or safety.

6.2 We require anyone we share information with to keep it confidential and use it only for the purpose we shared it.

6.3 We never sell, rent or trade your personal information.

7. Photographs and Video

7.1 We may take photographs or video during Experiences and use them on our Website, social media and marketing materials.

7.2 If you do not want to appear, please tell your guide at the start of your Experience or email us beforehand. If you later ask us to remove an image of you, we will remove it from our own Website and social media accounts as soon as reasonably possible. We cannot recall printed material that has already been distributed.

7.3 We will not use identifiable images of children for marketing without the permission of their parent or guardian.

8. Marketing

8.1 We will only send you newsletters, offers or other marketing if you have agreed to receive them, or if you are an existing Guest and we are telling you about similar Experiences.

8.2 Every marketing message will tell you how to unsubscribe. You can also opt out at any time by emailing us. Opting out will not affect messages about an existing booking.

9. Our Website and Cookies

9.1 Our Website may use cookies and similar technology to make it work properly and to understand how visitors use it.

9.2 You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, although some parts of the Website may then not work as intended.

9.3 Our Website may link to other websites, including those of Partner Venues. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

10. Information Stored Outside South Africa

Some of our service providers, such as email and cloud storage services, may store information on servers outside South Africa. Where this happens, we use reputable providers that are subject to data protection laws or agreements offering a level of protection similar to POPIA.

11. How We Protect Your Information

11.1 We take reasonable steps to keep your personal information secure. These include password-protected devices and accounts, two-step verification where available, and limiting access to people who need it.

11.2 No system is completely secure. If we become aware of a breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

12. How Long We Keep Your Information

12.1 We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes in this Policy, or as long as the law requires.

12.2 In general, we keep booking and payment records for 5 years to meet tax and accounting requirements. We delete dietary, medical and access information within 6 months after your Experience, unless you ask us to keep it for future bookings.

12.3 When we no longer need your information, we delete or destroy it securely.

13. Your Rights

13.1 Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of it;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or out of date;
• ask us to delete information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep;
• object to us using your information, including for marketing;
• withdraw your consent at any time, although this will not affect anything we did before you withdrew it; and
• complain to the Information Regulator.

13.2 To exercise any of these rights, please email susan@tastesofhermanus.co.za. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on your request, and we will respond within a reasonable time.

14. Complaints

14.1  If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it.

14.2 If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at www.inforegulator.org.za or enquiries@inforegulator.org.za.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on our Website, with the date it was last updated.

16. Contact Us

Information Officer: Susan Mann

Business: Tastes of Hermanus

Address: 9 Sandpiper, Hermanus, 7200

Email: susan@tastesofhermanus.co.za

Phone / WhatsApp: +27 78 239 9512