More than 100 agricultural economists including Vinpro’s enterprise development manager, Phil Bowes, attended the 59th Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA) Conference held in Swakopmund, Namibia in October.
Phil was requested by the SA Wine Industry Transformation Unit (SAWITU) to share lessons learnt in wine industry development programmes at this year’s conference themed How recent value chain disruptions shaped agri-food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of his presentation was to showcase transformation models implemented in the wine industry while the mohair, beef, potato, and raisin industries were invited to do the same.
Being people focused means the people need to vouch for purported benefits gained from transformation initiatives. Taking his cue from this ideal, Phil conveyed the ways in which individuals such as Lizo Mdali, a semi-finalist of the best young Sommelier Awards, can tap into support services offered by SAWITU if they wished for instance to start their own businesses or further their training. He also highlighted the importance of organisations that offer support services for further development in the wine industry. “SAWITU funds the Pinotage Youth Development Academy which has a 95% placement rate. This address unemployment and grants opportunities for a better future,” he says.
Another example of promoting transformation in the industry is through The Wine Arc, a Stellenbosch-based brand home and wine tourism hub for black-owned brands. This integrated empowerment project between SAWITU, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) aims to speed up transformation by offering black-owned wine brand owners a strong business platform, greater access to markets, e-commerce facilities, and the opportunity to engage with consumers in an attractive lifestyle setting through wine tastings, events, and conferences.
Phil furthermore shared an account of the extent and value of support offered to black-owned farms, brands and skills development initiatives supported by SAWITU, such as the Winetech Learning and Development Department.
Promoting inclusivity
Vinpro, SAWITU, and other organisations work closely together to support and grow the industry inclusively. “The wine industry and the Western Cape Government have been working closely together for more than a decade to obtain development funding for new entrants,” says Phil who is chairman of the selection committee that allocates this funding.
During this time, more than 50 new entrants received almost R100 million in support in the form of infrastructure, access to movable assets, and other capital needs. SAWITU – which receives a portion of the industry’s statutory levies and looks after the interests of black entrants to the wine industry – has provided further assistance to these producers since 2019.
“Vinpro is an advocate for transformation in the wine industry. We promote the support offered to black-owned farms, brands, and skills development initiatives such as Winetech’s learning and development department,” says Phil.
The South African wine industry views transformation and the development of people as key imperatives to ensure a strong, sustainable future and has put measurements in place to verify the fruits of this vision. The industry is driven to empower and uplift black-owned wine brands, farmers, farmworkers, and their communities. “It’s important for Vinpro to be involved in transformation in the wine industry because there is no future without transformation,” he says.
