Saai (Southern African Agri Initiative) has launched its wine marketing project, The Wine Farmer, on the Marianne Wine Estate at Stellenbosch on 22 October 2020.
The Wine Farmer is a online wine shop aimed at making family farm wines available to consumers across South Africa at cellar door prices.
“During levels 4 and 3 of the lockdown period, Saai represented more than 220 wine farmers in a court case against Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and others to lift the ban on wine sales, because this ban was causing tremendous harm to the industry. The Wine Farmer is the second half of our initiative to help family wine farmers get their industry going again,” says Francois Rossouw, CEO of Saai.
Damage to the wine industry during the seven months since the lockdown was announced stands at R7,5 billion. The wine surplus is estimated at almost 400 million litres, which is more than South Africa’s annual local consumption.
Saai is seriously concerned about the thousands of hectares of vineyards being threatened and that up to 80 family farms may be lost. “Some of the oldest family farms in our country are in the Western Cape. For us as a network structure for family farmers it is critically important to keep these farmers on their farms. These farms are not only wine farms – in most cases there also are a restaurant and accommodation on the farm, which creates a large number of job opportunities – especially in the rural areas, where such opportunities are sorely needed. Furthermore, it is a tourism attraction peculiar to the Boland and the Western Cape,” says Dr Theo de Jager, board chairman of Saai.
Aggressive marketing of wine can go much further than countering the destructive impact of irrational COVID-19 regulations and may help getting rid of wine surpluses. It can also maintain employment opportunities, keep farmers on their farms and salvage the region’s economy.
Whereas the authorities have done absolutely nothing so far to solve the self-made crisis, wine farm families must use the best digital and marketing technology to restore the industry.
Initially, The Wine Farmer will list the products of 10 wine farms on the website, and thereafter more farms will be added every week.
“This platform gives every consumer access to wines that are not necessarily available locally. It also cuts out the middleman, resulting in more value in the wine farmer’s pocket,” says Kwagga Boucher, winemaker and CEO of The Wine Farmer.
“This website is more than just a wine store. Every winemaker now has a platform to tell the story of the farm and sketch the background of the wines. You cannot visit a family wine farm in the Cape every day, but The Wine Farmer makes it possible for you to enjoy a family wine at home every day,” Boucher adds.
The Wine Farmer is available at www.thewinefarmer.co.za.
Saai stel Die Wynboer bekend om druk op familiewynboere te verlig
Saai (Suider-Afrika Agri Inisiatief) se wynbemarkingsprojek, Die Wynboer, is op 22 Oktober 2020 by die Marianne-wynlandgoed in Stellenbosch bekend gestel. Die Wynboer is ’n aanlyn wynwinkel wat daarop gemik is om familieboerwyne teen kelderdeurpryse aan verbruikers van regoor Suid-Afrika beskikbaar te stel.
“Gedurende vlakke 4 en 3 van die inperking het Saai meer as 220 wynboere verteenwoordig in ’n hofsaak teen minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma en andere om die verbod op die verkoop van wyn op te hef aangesien dié verbod ontsaglike skade aan die bedryf veroorsaak het. Die Wynboer is die tweede helfte van ons inisiatief om familiewynboere te help om hulle bedryf weer aan die gang te kry,” sê Francois Rossouw, uitvoerende hoof van Saai.
Tans beloop die skade tot die wynbedryf R7,5 miljard in die sewe maande sedert die inperking aangekondig is. Na raming is daar ’n oorskot van byna 400 miljoen liter wyn, wat meer as Suid-Afrika se plaaslike jaarlikse verbruik is.
Saai is baie bekommerd oor die duisende hektaar wingerde wat in die gedrang is en dat tot 80 familieplase verlore kan gaan. “Van die oudste familieplase in ons land is in die Wes-Kaap geleë. As netwerkstruktuur vir familieboere is dit vir ons kritiek belangrik om hierdie boere op hul plase te hou. Hierdie plase is nie net wynplase nie – daar is in die meeste gevalle ook ’n restaurant en akkommodasie op die plaas wat geweldig baie werk skep – veral op die platteland, waar werk broodnodig is. Dit is voorts ook ’n toerisme-aantreklikheid wat eie aan die Boland en die Wes-Kaap is,” sê dr. Theo de Jager, direksievoorsitter van Saai.
Aggressiewe bemarking van wyn kan veel meer as net die vernietigende impak van irrasionele COVID-19-regulasies teenwerk en bydra om van wynsurplusse ontslae te raak. Dit kan ook werkgeleenthede in stand hou, boere op hulle plase hou én die streek se ekonomie red.
Terwyl die owerhede nog absoluut niks gedoen het om die selfgemaakte krisis op te los nie, moet wynplaasfamilies die beste digitale en bemarkingstegnologie inspan vir die herstel van die bedryf.
Die Wynboer sal aanvanklik 10 wynplase se produkte op die webtuiste lys, waarna daar weekliks nog plase bygevoeg sal word.
“Hierdie platform gee aan elke verbruiker toegang tot wyne wat nie noodwendig plaaslik beskikbaar is nie. Dit skakel voorts ook die middelman uit, wat vir die wynboer meer waarde in sy sak beteken,” sê Kwagga Boucher, wynmaker en uitvoerende hoof van Die Wynboer.
“Hierdie webtuiste is meer as net ’n wynwinkel. Elke wynmaker het nou ’n platform om die storie van die plaas en die agtergrond van die wyne te vertel. Jy kan nie elke dag ’n familiewynplaas in die Kaap besoek nie, maar Die Wynboer stel jou in staat om elke dag ’n familiewyn by jou huis te geniet,” voeg Boucher by.
Die Wynboer is beskikbaar by www.diewynboer.co.za.
