This past week, the crafty Prison Break Market hosted the Proudly SA’s 2023 Local Wine Expo. The three-day expo concluded successfully on Saturday, July 15. The event got underway on Thursday, July 13th, with an educational media and buyers conference where attendees learned some important facts about the local market, the local economy, and the value of buying and supporting local businesses.

Now in its second year, the primary objective of Proudly SA’s Local Wine Expo was to create an environment where up-and-coming wine brands could gain exposure and forge connections with key stakeholders, including media representatives, retail buyers, and wine enthusiasts.

The 30 exhibitors, who came from various regions of the country, were present. The session was hosted by Proudly SA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mrs. Happy MaKhumalo Ngidi, and attended by the Chairman of Proudly SA, senior executives from the participating businesses, including Tourism Business SA, DTIC, the National Consumer Goods Council, The Wine Arc, National Liquor Association, and Liquor Board. Ngidi offered her knowledge on the value of community engagement at a grassroots level.

She emphasized that Proudly SA is motivated by the fact that they provide local brands, products, and services with access to markets since they frequently believe that having a product is one thing, but not having a market to sell it to defeats the point. If a company fails, this raises the unemployment rate in the nation. Therefore, they provide wineries with a platform for entry to the market.

Howard Gabriels, the chairman, joined Ngidi on stage and extended a warm welcome to all of the buyers, exhibitors, media, and visitors. He discussed the importance of their position as Proudly SA in bridging the gap between the various markets “we are able as proudly South Africa to help the industry connect with a broader set of customers” — he said. “So what we have done for this event is bringing together a number of activities, the most important one today would be the interaction between the wine brands, And the buyers from different organizations that will be engaging.” Gabriels continued.

“It is when we work together, that we are able to succeed more effectively. Because if your brands succeed in selling more wine, we know there are hundreds, maybe 1000s of families that will be able to live and survive and become successful. That is dependent on the wine industry.”

— Howard Gabriels (Chairman; Proudly SA)

Buy Local Campaign

This segment was headed by Proudly SA’s CEO Mr. Eustace Mashimbye who outlined the story and objectives of the Support Local Campaign in more detail. They emphasized the significance of localisation. In actuality, localization has contributed to the expansion of the economy and to us. It’s crucial for boosting the economy, empowering individuals, and creating employment and new skills. However, they do place the burden of educating the general public on them because small enterprises account for the vast majority of the nation’s GDP — support local.

“Our appeal to you is look at the country of origin label, if it says made in South Africa, you know that you’ve contributed to jobs in the country. If it say made in China, you cater to those jobs that they have in abundance in their country.”

Did You Know?

269 096 people were employed by the wine industry directly and indirectly in 2019.

The panel discussion covered important topics like digitalization and how crucial it is to make your items available online and on external digital platforms. They also discussed the significance of wine tourism, stating that a variety of goods that appeal to the global market are required. – as well as educating customers to allow for market diversification.

The Tasting

Press Icons had the privilege to conduct interviews and make connections with some of the wine businesses. The passionate wine brand owners and merchants were excited for the chance to present their brands, and chances are you’d be sold by their product creation stories first before you ever tasted the wine, as it was for us.

We sampled a number of wines, among them Libby’s Pride Wines. Her sparkling wine stood out above the others for us because of its bright, citrus aromas. Additionally, Aslina offered some of the best wine choices; their Umsasane and Cab Sav really gave us a matured taste. Lali makes the list primarily because she is so enthusiastic about the backstory of her company, but her high-end wines are also highly regarded. Some of the things that set her apart from the crowd, in our opinion, were her warnings about which wines are best for different people.

According to Proudly SA, the Expo was a success because at least half of the dealers sold out of their product by the time it ended, and 70% of the exhibitors were women-owned businesses. The Local Wine Expo acted as a success catalyst, enabling the vendors to surmount challenges and achieve new levels in their commercial activities, contributing to the solution of our nation’s protracted issues with unemployment, inequality, and poverty.

We look forward to another successful season in 2024.

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