Oh to be transported to a time in a history so far away… while this is not a review, it is an acknowledgement that it is valid for some brands to measure longevity in years, to end of August 2026, Sunlight Green Bar is marking 135 of those years by putting the focus where it arguably belongs: on the people and places that have made it part of everyday South African life.

The brand has launched Raised by the Bar, a national platform celebrating the communities, traditions, talent and enterprise that have shaped its story. The journey began in Durban on Friday, 21 August, with the Raised by the Bar truck set to travel next to Mthatha, Johannesburg, Mbombela and Polokwane.

The choice of a Durban taxi rank as the campaign’s starting point says plenty about its intent. Taxi ranks are not simply places to catch a ride; they are busy meeting points where livelihoods are built, deals are made, stories are exchanged and the character of a city reveals itself. Raised by the Bar taps into that energy, bringing live experiences and practical support to communities while giving local performers a platform and inviting people to share the memories and traditions that make their neighbourhoods their own.

Celebrating a 135th anniversary in this way feels necessary. Rather than looking backwards, Raised by the Bar is creating a moving record of the present, one community, story and shared experience at a time. As the truck makes its way across parts of the country, those contributions will become part of a living archive of the people and places that have helped give Sunlight Green Bar its place in South African life.

For more of my personal memory of Sunlight Green Bar, follow the Tinar substack here