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Thursday 18 November 2004 |
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This site will be updated on 25 November 2004. |
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THE weakening state of the South African textile industry has hit the Boland hard. Not only are 69 workers at Table Bay Spinners being retrenched, but the whole Court Fabrics factory in Paarl employing 200 people is to close down on 15 December. Court Fabrics specialises in upholstery products. The equipment utilised at Court Fabrics will be deployed amongst other group companies, suggesting there will be |
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RETRENCHED. Retrenched employees of Table Bay Spinners outside the Wellington factory. |
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further employment in other centres around South Africa. Standard severance packages will be awarded to each employee. Management blames the lack of protection against cheap imports and the strength of the Rand for the closure. The upholstery industry, as a component of the textile industry, has been affected in the same way as the clothing and shoe industries in South Africa by cheap imports from the East, exacerbated by the current strength of the Rand. During the past five years, Berg River Textiles has shrunk to less than a third of its original size, also blaming its poor performance on competition from cheap imports. Textile job losses for the Paarl/Wellington area will run to at least a thousand over the past three years, by the end of the year. |
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HOT on the heels of New York's Wine and Spirits magazine naming Backsberg Estate among its top hundred international wineries, comes the other big authority of influence in US wine, Wine Spectator magazine, and proclaims the winery's new Pumphouse Shiraz 2002 a 'Smart Buy'. The wine glossy, in it latest issue (15 November), gives Backsberg Pumphouse Shiraz 2002 the full treatment with label reproduced next to a smart 89/100 score in its Buying Guide. 'Smart Buys' is for "wines that deliver fine character at affordable prices that are broadly available," according to the magazine. Rated by Wine Spectator's James Molesworth, the recommendation reads: "Lovely plum, blackberry fruitcake and briar notes, with lots of smoky spice and cocoa, too. The toast is slightly firm on the finish, but solid. "Drink now through 2006 - 3 000 cases imported." It sells for $18 in the USA. The 2002 Backsberg Pumphouse Shiraz is its first release and also scored three and a half stars in the 2004 John Platter Wine Guide. According to winemaker Alicia Rechner, Pumphouse Shiraz is a specially crafted cuvée selected on the basis of varietal character and intensity. "Black cherry and raspberry fruits are given added complexity via subtle aniseed and vanillin tones derived from maturation and small French and American oak barriques. "The palate has weight and depth due to layers of fruit tannins and sheer flavour intensity." |
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PIONEER FOODS, een van Suid-Afrika se snel-groeiendste voedselgroepe, het 'n vervaardiger van 'n reeks koekieprodukte, Kwality Biscuits, gekoop. Dit volg op die onlangse aankoop van KWV se 25% aandeel in Ceres Fruit Juices. Kwality Biscuits by Bronkhorstspruit, naby Pretoria, het in net tien jaar beduidende markaandeel gewen met handelsmerke soos Romantic Dreams, Munch-A-Lot, Chock Krust, Tea Lovers en Vinta. Die besigheid gaan ingeskakel word by Bokomo Foods, 'n afdeling van Pioneer Foods. Bokomo Foods bemark 'n reeks Bokomo beskuit, topverkopers in ontbytvoedsel soos Weet-Bix, ProNutro, Nature's Source en Maltabella, asook die Moir's reeks. "Met Bokomo se uitgebreide netwerk vir verkope en verspreiding gaan die Kwality Biscuit-produkte sterker in die kleinhandel staan," sê Bennie Hendricks, besturende direkteur van Bokomo Foods. Die transaksie is deur die Mededingingskommissie goedgekeur en die 260 permanente werknemers word deel van Bokomo Foods op 22 November. |
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KOERANTOPSKRIFTE 'n jaar of wat gelede oor slenters in die olyfoliebedryf het platinum-kenner prof Klaus Koch genoop om twee van sy passies - kosmaak en die wetenskap - te kombineer om 'n vinniger metode te ontwikkel wat nie net die suiwerheid en gehalte van olyfolie kan toets nie, maar ook namaaksels kan uitwys. Die koerante was op daardie stadium vol berigte oor sogenaamde ingevoerde, Italiaanse "extra-virgin" olyfolie wat ten duurste op die winkerakke beskikbaar is, maar eintlik net gekleurde sonneblomolie in 'n slim Mediterreense verpakking was. Anders as die ware Jakob, het hierdie namaaksels glad nie dieselfde gesondheidsvoordele ingehou nie. Prof Koch, 'n analitiese chemikus verbonde aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch se Departement Chemie en Polimeerwetenskappe, het sy kennis gebruik om 'n kwantitatiewe spektroskopie-metode te ontwikkel, waardeur olyfolie getoets kan word. Sy navorsing, saam met kollega Jean McKenzie, het onlangs in die Suid-Afrikaanse Wetenskaplike Joernaal verskyn. Met net 0,4g olyfolie kan hulle binne 20 minute die belangrikste vetsure in Suid-Afrikaanse olyfolies analiseer. Daarvoor word 'n Kern Magnetiese Resonansiespektrometer (KMR) gebruik wat danksy kragtige magnetiese golwe 'n beeld van die samestelling van stowwe kan vorm. Dit is standaard-toerusting in die meeste chemie-laboratoriums wêreldwyd, maar is baie duur. Alhoewel dit beteken dat olyfboere nog nie self hul eie olie kan toets met 'n sakpas-grootte apparaat nie, sou hulle van die US se fasiliteite gebruik kon maak. Anders as in die Europese Unie (EU) en die VSA, is daar plaaslik nog geen gesertifiseerde standaard waaraan plaaslike produsente hul produkte moet meet nie. Die streng voorgeskrewe EU-toetse neem tot 'n halwe dag om onder meer die chemiese samestelling, die hoeveelheid vrye vetsure en die peroksiedwaarde van die olies te toets. Die meeste toetse meet die kwaliteit en komponente van olies, maar kan nie almal tussen 'n vervalste en 'n egte olyfolieproduk onderskei nie. Prof Koch het met talle produsente in die Paarl-omgewing gesels oor die dreigende krisis, en met hul toestemming hul olies getoets. Daarby is sommige ingevoerde produkte wat op die Suid-Afrikaanse winkelrakke as "egte" olyfolie beskikbaar is, ook getoets, en bevind dat enkeles in der waarheid gebottelde sonneblomolie gedokter met kleursel is. "Om kwaliteitskontrole te verseker binne Suid-Afrika se groeiende industrie raak riglyne en 'n regulerende raamwerk vir die kwaliteit van olyfolie al hoe noodsaakliker," glo prof Koch. "'n Vinnige metode soos hierdie, gemeet aan die voorgeskrewe metodes van die EU, kan so 'n sertifiseringsproses vergemaklik," glo prof Koch. Veral invoerders kan by so 'n standaarde-raamwerk baat, aangesien hulle die invoerproduk kan toets. Die duo se metode kan ook gebruik word om 'n databasis van alle plaaslike olyfolieprodusente saam te stel, waardeur 'n ondubbelsinnige "vingerafdruk" verkry kan word van 'n spesifieke produk om die outentiekheid van 'n olie vas te stel. In 'n kleiner studie het die Matie-span ook gekyk na die belangrikste vetsuur-komponente van 'n seleksie van olyfolies uit verskillende streke in die Wes-Kaap, en vasgestel dat daar definitiewe verskille tussen verbouingsgebiede en kultivars is. 'n Databasis wat olyfolies "geografies plaas", soos wat reeds in die wynbedryf beskikbaar is, kan verdere kanse op vervalsing uitskakel. |
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AN independent quality control laboratory that focuses on monitoring levels of volatile compounds in wine corks was launched on 11 November at the Institute for Wine Biotechnology (IWBT) in Stellenbosch. This followed an earlier agreement between the IWBT at the University of Stellenbosch and Thalès Wine Cellar Services on the one hand and the South African Cork Quality Council (SACQC) on the other hand. This is the second agreement of its kind in the world, following the success achieved in the United States. Antonio de Gouveia of the Cork Quality Council said, "Our main objective is to improve the quality of natural corks distributed to the wine industry in South Africa. It was therefore important to establish an independent laboratory to control TCA, the main risk affecting the quality of natural cork closures." TCA (2,4,6-trichloroanisole) is an innocuous compound of chlorine and phenol found in natural environments and one of the most common off-flavours in food and drink. This compound odour is similar to wet cardboard. TCA is also actively absorbed and adheres to surfaces of all types, including plastics, wood and glass, as well as cork. If there is TCA in the atmosphere, it will find its way into products and packaging. The laboratory will therefore also extend its analyses to the testing of other chemical compounds and contaminants in wine cellars that may infect wines with off-flavours similar to cork taint. According to Jaco Durand, Managing Director of Thalès, a company that specialises in cellar hygiene practices within wineries, "This laboratory is an investment in the South African wine industry. We are following in the footsteps of other laboratories in wine producing countries such as ETS in the USA, Excell and Vectour in France and AWRI in Australia to improve wine quality," he said. |
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