business

Thursday 17 June 2004

This site will be updated on 24 June 2004 at 17:30

Business - Sakenuus

Five wineries club together for export

Drukker is Sakeman van die Jaar

Fine chocolates branch out from Franschhoek

Plan for fruit industry

Five wineries club together for export


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FIVE local wine cellars have clubbed together to form a new marketing company in order to increase their market share in the United States, the Far East, and Europe.

Managed by management services company, Strategy Partners, the new venture will be known as Cape Coastal Wines and will initially concentrate on the United States where an office will be set up within a year.

The five cellars that will control the production company are Wellington, Wamakersvallei, Bovlei, Riebeek and Boland. Collectively they constitute the production company, Cape Coastal Vineyards, which in turn holds shares in the marketing company, Cape Coastal



		LAUNCH. At the launch of the new production company Cape Coastal Vineyards were (front from left) Jannie le Roux (chairman), Johann Pieterse (chairman Strategy Partners and Cape Coastal Wines), and Pierre le Roux (attorney). Behind them are (from left) Henk Bruwer (Riebeeck Cellar), Pieter Cillié (Bovlei Cellar), Johan Strümpfer (Strategy Partners), Martin Malan (Wellington Cellar), Altus le Roux (Boland Cellar), Ernst Brink (Wamakersvallei Cellar) and CN Louw (Strategy Partners).

Wines. Newly appointed chairman, Johann Pieterse, who rose to prominence after he turned around Teljoy and Naspers's Van Schaik Bookstores, said the new company would initially concentrate on doing extensive client market research in the United States in order to get a clear picture of which wines Americans preferred.

"Once we know exactly which style of wines the US market requires, the five cellars in the group will then be able to produce wines to exactly meet those needs."

Boland Cellar chairman, Jannie le Roux who was the prime mover behind the new venture, said a thorough study of the markets in which the new company was planning to play had been done.

"It is clearly evident that South Africa lags far behind countries like Australia, New Zealand and countries in South America like Chile and Argentina."

In addition to the marketing company, a production company known as Cape Coastal Vineyards has been established to provide product to the marketing company. This company will be chaired by Jannie le Roux.

"A feature of this venture will be the fact that it will bring on board a major Black Economic Empowerment element," Le Roux said.

He said a significant part of the shareholding of Cape Coastal Wines had been set aside for BEE and negotiations were underway with potential investors.

"This deal will really open up the wine industry to South Africa's historically disadvantaged population," he said.

A relatively small percentage of shares in the marketing company have been set aside for outside investors.

Strategy Partners which has been engaged to handle the management of Cape Coastal Wines has been allocated a minority shareholding.

The production company has signed an agreement with the marketing company that they will supply product "in perpetuity", le Roux said.

Pieterse, who is executive chairman of Strategy Partners in addition to heading up Cape Coastal Wines, said the project had generated a great deal of excitement in wine circles.

"We know the market is out there and we know we have the product to compete effectively. Because all of the stakeholders are insistent that it needs to be a Market Pull initiative - giving the market what it wants rather than trying to change consumer's tastes and habits - we are all confident that the venture is going to be a shining success story."

There will be a strong emphasis on branding and to that end, a market research initiative has been launched to develop suitable brands for the US market.

The five wine cellars involved in the new initiative have all undertaken to produce products in line with the results of market research. Target markets will determine price, quality and quantities required.

"There is no question in my mind that South African wines are among the very best in the world," le Roux said.

Drukker is Sakeman van die Jaar


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'n KLEIN drukkersonderneming wat vier jaar gelede in die Paarl geloods is as Paarl Labels, is nou die grootste verskaffer van selfkleef-wynetikette in Afrika.

Paarl Labels het onlangs deel geword van Collotype, die grootste wynetiketvervaardiger in die wêreld.

Die besturende direkteur van Collotype Paarl Labels, Thys Hugo, is verlede week deur Paarl Sakekamer aangewys as Sakeleier van die Jaar.

"Die sukses van Collotype was 'n spanpoging van 'n dinamiese jong bestuurspan. Ek was hoogstens die rigtinggewer, my kollegas was die voertuig waarmee die maatskappy vorentoe beweeg het," het Hugo by die toekenningsdinee gesê.

Hugo, 'n Upingtonner in murg en been, het vir 20 jaar voltyds in die Kalahari geboer. Daarna het hy in 1993 sonder enige ondervinding as junior vennoot aangesluit by Trans Oranje Drukkers in Upington en bemarking gedoen.

Geleenthede het vinnig gevolg en teen 1995 het hy die bestuur oorgeneem.

Teen 1998 het hy besef die uitdaging lê by selfkleef-etikette. Hy het sy destydse vennote oortuig dat die Wes-Kaap die regte plek is om so 'n geleentheid aan te pak.

Stellenbosch Universiteit is genader vir 'n impakstudie en teen Augustus 1999 is die deure van die destydse Paarl Labels geopen as 'n klein onderneming met sewe personeellede en een masjien.

Hugo was besturende direkteur, skoonmaker, afleweraar en bemarker.

Die onderneming het gegroei en druk vandag etikette van bekende handelsname, veral in die wynbedryf. Hulle is trots op hulle vinnige, betroubare diens en kan soms etikette vinne vyf werksdae lewer, wat kliënte in staat stel om kompeterend oorsee te bemark.

Die personeelkorps het aangegroei tot omtrent 90 en daar is vier drukmasjiene om kapasiteit te verhoog.

Vandag produseer Collotype Paarl Labels 24 uur per dag met kontinentale skofte, gemiddeld 14 tot 18 miljoen etikette per maand.

Teen 2002 het die Hugo Familie Trust besluit om 40% van die maatskappy aan sy werknemers te verkoop.

Ewe skielik het eienaarskap saam met 'n entoesiastiese leierspan nuwe geleenthede geskep vir verdere markpenetrasie.

Vroeë vanjaar is 'n ooreenkoms aangegaan met Collotype, die enigste internasionale rolspeler wat spesialiseer in wynetikette in Australië sowel as Kalifornië.

'n Aandeel van 50,9% van die maatskappy is aan hulle verkoop met 'n BEE struktuur van 25,1% as deel van die ooreenkoms .

Collotype was en is bekend vir innovering en bedryf 'n voltydse navorsingsafdeling wat voortdurend met vindingryke idees opkom wat wynetikette meer aantreklik maak.

Wynbottels kan nou, soos reeds in Australië en VSA die geval is, ysbaktoetse slaag en steeds mooi vertoon na ure in yswater, iets wat nooit moontlik was in SA nie.

Collotpype Paarl Labels het onlangs 'n eerste plek toekenning in Engeland ontvang, vir die beste wynetiket in sy kategorie vir die jaar 2003.

Fine chocolates branch out from Franschhoek


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ONE of the country's most successful small empowerment businesses has launched its first franchise outlet.

Huguenot Fine Chocolates of Franschhoek, a fast-growing Belgian chocolate company has franchised its operation Chocolat de Belgique with the first store will open in Johannesburg towards the end of June.

The franchise store, Chocolat de Belgique, is in Thrupps Centre, Illovo. The two young entrepreneurs-to-be Emily Modau and Alitta Mangwanyane were given extensive training by the Huguenot team and are now ready to go.

What makes Chocolat de Belgique unique is that the handcrafted chocolates are made in front of customers from the finest imported Belgian chocolate.

There are more than 20 chocolate varieties, which can be bought loose or beautifully packaged for gifts in a variety of styles and prices.

The shops also specialise in corporate gifts and exquisite confections for hotels and restaurants.

Huguenot Chocolates was launched four years ago with the help of the Belgian government. They took two local men to Brussels for a year to learn chocolate making. On their return, the two partners opened their shop in Franschhoek's main street.

In addition to their retail operation they have a high-profile client list of top-rated hotels and restaurants.

They now employ seven people who they have trained in the art of chocolate making and packing.

The Huguenot Chocolates partners, Danver Windvogel and Denver Adonis, are excited by the expansion and the jobs they have created.

"Our concept of making chocolates in front of customers has been very successful. We hope to launch a new franchise store every six months," they say.

Plan for fruit industry


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A DRAFT plan to promote sustainability, global competitiveness of and access to the SA fruit industry, is to be drawn up by October, following a series of workshops throughout the country.

The fruit industry (deciduous, citrus and sub-tropical fruits) in South Africa is facing a combination of national and international commercial, legal and social challenges.

These include increasing integration of the global value chain, changing consumer trends, an increasingly competitive global market especially from competitors such as Chile (and in future China) and changing legislation and standards, domestically and internationally.

In addition, the fruit industry wants to position itself within the broader agricultural framework set by government and the private sector.

The Chair for International Agricultural Marketing Development (CIAMD) has been contracted by Fruit South Africa to facilitate the process of developing a Fruit Industry Plan.

The project team includes local and international experts. The plan will further the efforts of stakeholders in the South African Fruit Industry to meet the objectives laid out in the Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture, NEPAD and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Plan (CAADP).

The development of the Fruit Industry Plan is guided by a Steering Committee comprising representatives of Business, Black Business, Labour, Community and Government, chaired by Anton Rabe of the Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust.

Approximately 30 workshops will be held over a period of three months throughout South Africa's fruit production regions (22 general workshops and 8 specialist workshops).

These workshops aim to investigate the needs, wishes and desired state of a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the fruit industry, including primary producers, labour, organised agriculture, service providers, government institutions on the three levels of governance, different enterprise branches of the fruit industry, research and higher education institutions and all other institutions that form part of the total value chain in the fruit industry.

The first three workshops were held on 2, 3 and 4 June in Citrusdal and Paarl. Two of these workshops concentrated on citrus, whilst the other concentrated on the deciduous fruit industry.

It is already apparent that all three pillars of the envisaged strategy, namely access and participation, profitability and sustainability in all its dimensions are regarded as serious aspects to address in the industry.

The project team consists of project leader André Jooste (CIAMD), Ockie Bosman (BAWSI), Rodney Calvert (HopkinsCalvert Associates), Beverly Farmer (consultant), Gwynne Foster (consultant), Peter Greeff (Orchman), Johan Koorts (StratFac), Lize Korsten (University of Pretoria), Daan Louw (OABS), Desmond O'Rourke (Washington State University), Nosey Pieterse (Nirtcon), Christa van Louw, Christa (Christa van Louw and Associates) and Herman van Schalkwyk (CIAMD).

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