A wine tasting and cellar complex in Stellenbosch is currently being renovated to become a first-of-its-kind home for black-owned wine brands.
This was according to Tshililo Ramabulana, the chairperson of the South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit (SAWITU). The renovations at the Nietvoorbij Cellar Complex began in early September, after SAWITU signed a lease agreement with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) on 24 August, according to Ramabulana.
A new home for black-owned wine brands is currently under construction at the Nietvoorbij Cellar Complex in Stellenbosch. It is expected to open in the middle or end of October, according to Tshililo Ramabulana, the chairperson of the South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit. PHOTO: James Cameron Heron
“We hope that we will be able to showcase as many of these black-owned brands [as possible] to customers from around the world,” said Ramabulana
Boosting exposure
In Stellenbosch, which is a pre-eminent wine tourism destination in South Africa, exposure and market placement is highly competitive for emerging brands, according to Wendy Petersen, operations manager at SAWITU. The new brand home at Nietvoorbij aims to challenge this, according to Petersen.
“Black wine-owners and entrepreneurs have been in the industry for a few decades now, and it’s very difficult for them to grow or become sustainable, as market entry is very difficult and there are a lot of obstacles,” said Petersen.
The South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit is currently renovating the Nietvoorbij Cellar Complex with the intention of creating a home for black-owned wine brands. “We hope that we will be able to showcase as many of these black-owned brands [as possible] to customers from around the world,” said Tshililo Ramabulana, the chairperson of the South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit (SAWITU). PHOTO: James Cameron Heron
The new facility aims to become a place that black-owned brands can call their own, and a means by which they can find their place in the South African wine industry, according to Petersen.
“With this brand home, we hope to have a centralised facility that the brands can operate from without massive operational costs imposed on them. It sends a very strong message that black-owned brands have an identity and position in this market, and that we are very active roleplayers in the South African wine industry,” said Petersen.
Selecting brands
SAWITU is still in the process of selecting which brands will be placed in the facility, according to Ramabulana. The organisation expects to host the first brands in the new space by the end of September, and welcome its first customers by the middle to end of October, he said.
“We are hoping to host at least 15 black-owned brands at a time, and will provide them with a platform to display their products. [We will] also help them in terms of distributing their wines and placing their wines in different stores,” said Ramabulana.
Carmen Stevens, who registered the first 100% black-owned winery in South Africa, believes that having the new brand home in Stellenbosch is ideal for black-owned wines, “it is fantastic that black-owned brands will have a home, a place where people can taste their wines, in a town that is renowned for winemaking,” said Stevens. PHOTO: James Cameron Heron
The project is the first of its kind, and is an “overdue step in the right direction for the South African wine industry”, according to Carmen Stevens, who registered the first 100% black-owned winery in South Africa.
“This industry did not get to where it is without black participation…the industry should really wake up and realise this is a fantastic project, but so much more needs to be done,” said Stevens. “It is fantastic that black-owned brands will have a home, a place where people can taste their wines, in a town that is renowned for winemaking.”