Wine Farming In South Africa – Thokozani, located in Diemersfontein Wine and Country Estate, produces ethical wine while strengthening the backbone of the industry.
Growing up in South Africa as the daughter of two farm labourers, Thokozani Wines and Hospitality CEO Denise Stubbs sees the wine industry as the Hollywood of the agricultural industry.
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But despite her childhood fascination with farming, Denise thought it was never for her. Instead, he pursued his first passion: fashion design.
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“I have gone through many stages-fashion design, HR, project management-however, it has always been my dream to give back to my community,” she said.
“It is important to focus on training and development as an absolute necessity to achieve sustainable economic empowerment of agricultural workers and the big picture of the male- and white-dominated industry.” – Denise Stubbs
However, year after year, one question continued to haunt him. “I was fascinated or disturbed by why white people like to drink wine, and my people, in my experience, abused wine and had alcohol syndrome.”
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Denise grew up during the Tot System, also known as the Dop System, the practice of giving farmers cheap wine at regular intervals during the workday. Although this practice is illegal in South Africa, the implications remain.
An opportunity to influence change in cultural perception and representation came when Denise took on the role of Human Resources Manager at Diemersfontein Wine and Country Estate.
Denise soon left her corporate career to become the majority shareholder through sweat equity and empowered 65 farm workers to become shareholders in the business now known as Thokozani, which means ‘celebration’.
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“Almost 16 years in the industry, I have proven that I can be a campaigner. Now, I look back and say we did it.
Denise was instrumental in establishing the Thokozani Group of Companies, a grassroots black economic empowerment initiative with business interests in wine, conference and hospitality properties.
“It is important to focus on training and development as an absolute necessity to achieve the sustainable economic empowerment of agricultural workers and the bigger picture of an industry dominated by men and whites,” he explained.
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Denise is a recognized voice in the industry. Not only is she a female CEO, but also a black woman running a successful hospitality business.
“I only know of three women of color who own vineyards in South Africa,” she says. “This is an ongoing challenge because the industry is still owned by white male farmers.
“Women are still fighting for recognition. An organization called SAWITU (South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit) is working hard to make the industry more inclusive.
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Denise says one of the problems is that many successful winery owners are generations of families. “I don’t see how many of them will change unless they share their heritage with previously disadvantaged individuals, especially black women.”
There are currently about 65 black wine brand owners in South Africa, but most of them source their wine from white owners with infrastructure.
“They call this wine their own and become a marketing company,” notes Denise. “They didn’t get a chance to continue their journey with the farmers.”
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Denise clearly understands the fact that the industry can only change if those in positions of power embrace the transformation. “They need to give back to society and empower women who were previously disadvantaged and make them owners or partners in the larger economy.”
It happened in Tokozani. The owners of Diemersfontein share their wealth, expertise, knowledge and passion with Denise and 65 shareholders, mostly farmers.
“This is the hardest career I’ve ever chosen. I’m always challenged and questioned about being a woman of color and not being a winemaker,” says Denise.
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“The proof is in the pudding. Our wines have won great awards all over the world, not because of our color, but because of our quality.”
Denise chose this career because she wanted to create positive change in South Africa’s agriculture and tourism sectors.
“People are my greatest asset,” he says. “My biggest challenge at the beginning was convincing people that I was committed to change and that we would have a place in the sun.
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“Almost 16 years in the industry, I have proven that I can be a campaigner. Now, I look back and say we did it.
“I won the trust of my shareholders and we turned Tokozan into a truly transformational business – value, change and great excitement for our future.”
Unfortunately, South Africa’s current difficulties have created a number of new challenges for businesses to overcome. In March, at the start of the country’s COVID-19 lockdown, the government imposed a nine-week ban on the sale of alcohol. This also includes a five-week ban on exports.
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After the ban was lifted on June 1, the wineries were offered some reprieve, only to have it reinstated on July 12. Then on August 15, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the sanctions would be lifted once again from August 17, allowing the sale of alcohol with restrictions.
“Every winery has gone into survival mode,” shared Denise. “We are losing market share and our international supporters are starting to buy Chilean and Spanish wines because of export delays.”
“We are grateful, but lifting the ban is too late for many, and there is still a steep hill for the rest.”
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He said the challenge now is to create demand for South African wine, bearing in mind that there is also a glut of wine in Europe that countries such as France, Italy and Spain cannot sell because of wine tariffs.
“After working so hard to increase the value of our wines, it would be a shame if we lost our price position overnight,” says Denise.
With online and e-commerce models already in place, wineries are in a better position to make a comeback, which is why Thokozani is rapidly increasing its online sales.
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“The best way for producers to get out of this situation is to be direct and honest, because that’s the best defense,” says Denise. Don’t miss out on the latest beverage industry news and insights. Sign up for our award-winning newsletter and get insider information, resources and trends delivered to your inbox every week.
South Africa’s Cape Winelands is limping into its third year of drought, the severity of which is expected to occur only once in 311 years. Experts expect grape yields to drop by up to 50 percent in some parts of the region. But in Paul Cluver Wines, a 2,000-hectare estate in the Elgin Valley, about 75 kilometers southeast of Cape Town, which received about half as much rain in 2015-2017 as between 2012 and 2014, produced a boom.
Company president Paul Kluwer, a former neurosurgeon, attributes his family’s success to the conservation and good management of resources, especially the water that their estate collects from rainfall. “The question is how do you manage what you have,” he says. “You have to be more efficient with less, and it’s totally possible.”
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This is possible, yes, but not uncommon. Water sources, which many wine producers in the region rely on for irrigation, have been rationed for months, with quotas cut by up to 80 percent, forcing producers to increase the schedule of grape replacement, introduce water-saving equipment in the cellar and use water. only the highest earning block if there is any water left to use.
Smaller crops and lower yields are expected from farmers to farms in and around Stellenbosch. The lack of supply is likely to lead to the general price increase that many local experts see, but that silver lining is of little consolation to the thousands of farm laborers who have been out of work due to the water crisis.
South Africa’s wine industry is the ninth largest wine producer in the world, contributing 4 percent to global production, according to VinPro, a non-profit consultancy representing wine producers and cellars. Supported by a workforce of more than a quarter of a million permanent and seasonal workers, according to Christo Conradi, Wine Cellars, Agribusiness and Wine Tourism Manager at VinPro, South Africa typically exports 440 million liters of wine and sells around 400 million liters domestically. every year. But a November survey of winemakers and grape growers by the South African Wine Industry Information and System suggested that the 2018 harvest could be the smallest since 2005. The average harvest forecast from Francois Viljoen, viticulture and soil manager at Vin Pro, suggested the yield could be lower. up 20 percent in 2018 from an estimated 1.4 million tons of grapes in 2017, but this estimate may change later in March when the harvest is over. The organization plans to release the official 2018 crop report in May.
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Still, there are bright spots in the increasingly arid region, and producers here say there are lessons for winemakers in California and Europe who are also struggling with water shortages.
At Cluver, planning a comprehensive approach to water conservation began several years ago. Alien vegetation such as eucalyptus and pine
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