Bouwland Invites Media to Empowerment Project

The people of Bouwland Trust, an Empowerment Project in Agriculture, will exhibit the implements they bought with funds received from the Department of Agriculture on Friday 22 July.

A total of R9,666,328 has been invested in Bouwland Estate near Stellenbosch to carry out the biggest agricultural empowerment venture yet in the Capes Wine Industry. Most of the 60 beneficiaries are still employed at the wine farms Beyerskloof, Bouwland and Kanonkop, and therefore the Bouwland Deelnemingstrust is an additional asset to their current jobs.

The inspiration behind the project is to create true agricultural en economic empowerment for future generations of the community who has been part of the cape wines culture since Jan van Riebeeck planted the first vineyard in 1659.

The 60 individuals of the empowered 39 families formed the Bouwland Deelnemingstrust and own 74% of the shares in Bouwland Estate. The Governments Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development Program, the Land Credit Facility (Khula), Absa Business Services and Beyerskloof (Pty) Ltd, joined forces to invest the R9,666,326 in Bouwland Estate to empower the families from the previously disadvantaged community in primary agricultural business.

"Besides the aspect of being co-owners of an established 56 hectares vineyard farm in a prime wine region, the trustees will also benefit from the fact that Bouwland is a well-established brand in Holland, Belgium, England and Denmark currently exporting close to 6 000 cases of twelve. Our aim is to increase our production to at least 25 000 cases of wine per annum within the next five years."

Red wine varieties currently cultivated at Bouwland are Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, while Cabernet Franc and Shiraz will also be planted in the near future.

The wine maker of Bouwland is the South Africa's international renowned wine maker, Beyers Truter who has 26% share in Bouwland.

Because the Bouwland wines will now be marketed extensively in South Africa, their newly appointed national distributor, Somerset Wine International, is working on another empowerment scheme to involve family members beneficiaries of the Trustees in the nationwide marketing of Bouwland wines.

WHEN: Friday, 22 July 2005
TIME: 11:30
VENUE: Beyerskloof Farm

Enquiries: Alie van Jaarsveld, 084 604 6701