African Livestock Trade Fair Press Release

14 August 2019. ALFA 2019 presents different facets of the livestock industry. The local livestock industry is without a doubt one of the largest segments of the South African agricultural industry. It is the oldest and one of the most profitable sectors in agriculture and also one of the most stable sectors that keeps farmers on their farms amid economic pressures and natural influences.

Wine and Food Conference

14 August 2019. TOP DIGITAL STRATEGIST TO SHOW WINE & FOOD CONFERENCE DELEGATES HOW TO UP THEIR COMMUNICATION GAME AT ZERO COST.

Wineries can easily and effectively raise their digital visibility and strategically enhance their impact without having to spend an additional cent and do so immediately.  This is according to digital and media marketing maven Judith Lewis, who has been ranked by her peers as one of the most influential members working in the UK industry today.

Lewis, who has consulted to leading global companies such as Google, NBC Universal, AmEx, Virgin.com, Virgin Startup and others, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Wine & Food Tourism Conference at Spier near Stellenbosch, on 18 September.

She has built her formidable international reputation on the strength of her strategic understanding of how digital technologies can be applied to help businesses innovate and optimise performance. Her focus includes SEO (search engine optimisation), content strategy and link building. She also trains specialists in the field and contributes to publications such as the Huffington Post.

“My goal is for people to leave my Stellenbosch presentation with a comprehensive checklist of digital things they can do right away”.

She will be stressing to Wine & Food Conference delegates how quickly and simply they can access their target audiences and improve how, what and when they communicate across multiple platforms, just by using free and readily available tools at their disposal.

“My perception of South African wineries is that they are making tasty, innovative wines and that they have amazing stories to tell but they are not currently getting all the acknowledgement they deserve. There just isn’t the awareness. But by extending their reach, by better understanding trade and consumer points of contact and by building stronger relationships, they can more ably convert, retain, and engage more people.

“Today, there are around 4 billion people worldwide who use the Internet.  About 3 billion of them are active on social media, of whom 2,9 billion are on mobile. The potential is enormous, if you know how to navigate your way through the clutter.

“Some wineries are already introducing micro-efficiencies that allow them to simply pull Instagram images and long-form content to Facebook and Twitter.  It costs nothing and it’s easy to set up.

“Analytics help you to understand where your audiences spend most of their time on your website, where they don’t dwell at all, when they engage with your content and the type and format of content to which they are most receptive.  Google, Instagram and Facebook analytics are all free and super-powerful in terms of the insights they give you.

“What does cost a bit, but doesn’t demand a major investment, is finding a specialist to pull all this data together. That way you build a more coherent picture you can act on in structuring your digital communications more appropriately. In fact, with the right training, it is possible to develop the necessary in-house skills, pretty fast.  And with the right know-how, you are better placed to challenge your digital agencies – where you are employing them – to ensure you are getting the best return on your investment.”

Lewis recently addressed wine tourism delegates at the IWINETC, the International Wine Tourism Conference in Spain.

Convenor of September’s Wine & Food Tourism Conference, Margi Biggs says: “We are delighted to have someone of Judith’s calibre speak at our event. She is acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities in her field and is an excellent and entertaining speaker.”

More than 15 top-level experts will be sharing the stage with her. Other high-profile personalities include trends analyst Dion Chang, Wesgro CEO Tim Harris, as well as immediate past Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom.

Delegates will also get to witness the announcement of the honourees of the inaugural Wine & Food Tourism Awards. It will be presented by South Africa’s National Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane. Wine, food and hospitality establishments will be highlighted in three distinct categories: Innovation, Service Excellence and The Authentic South African Experience.

Go to www.wineandfood.co.za for more information, and to register for the conference.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Trends in Wine and Food Tourism”.

Conference rates:

–   Regular price: R3 800 plus 15% VAT

–   Student price: R1 750 plus 15% VAT

–   Discounted price for RASA, SATSA, SAACI, SITE, FEDHASA and Cape Town Tourism members: R3 420 plus 15% VAT

Special offer!  When you register at full rate for this year’s conference, you now have the opportunity to bring a junior staff member along at no additional cost. This is an excellent opportunity for those in mentorship positions to expose their mentees to all that’s hot and happening in the wine and food tourism sector, and to learn first-hand from wine and food tourism experts in their respective fields.

Social media:

Twitter and Facebook: @winefoodconf

Instagram: @winefoodtourismconf

Hashtag: #wfconf2019

Suggested social media post:

Learn from UK digital expert Judith Lewis how to effectively raise your #digital visibility and enhance your #impact without having to spend an additional cent, at the Wine & Food Tourism Conference. 18 September, Spier, #Stellenbosch. www.wineandfood.co.za. #wfconf2019 #tourism

Contact details:

Wine & Food Tourism Conference

Telephone:  021 433 1314

E-mail:  specialt@iafrica.com

DATE                                     14 AUGUST 2019

ISSUED BY                           AUGUST COLLECTIVE

FOR                                        WINE & FOOD TOURISM CONFERENCE

QUERIES                               MARGI BIGGS, SPECIALIZED TOURS & EVENTS, 021 433 1314 or 082 770 1440

MARLISE POTGIETER/JANI-MARI SWART, AUGUST COLLECTIVE, 072 562 5307/073 183 0695/021 461 0311 OR marlise@augustcollective.co.za; jani-mari@augustcollective.co.za

Agri-Expo Livestock – A world-class showcase of the livestock industry

18 July 2019.

A world-class showcase of the South African livestock industry and its value chains awaits visitors to the sixth Agri-Expo Livestock from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 October 2019 at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch.  Livestock has over the past five years established itself as the most prestigious livestock event in the country, where visitors watch top animals of various breeds compete with about 20 breeders’ associations involved.

Livestock hosts the biggest dairy show in South Africa, as well as the biggest beef interbreed championships of its kind, with the crowning of the FNB Dairy Queen and BKB Red Meat King or Queen on Saturday 12 October as its highlight. Livestock is especially sought after for its dairy interbreed show, supported by the three largest dairy breeds, the Holstein, Ayrshire and Jersey breeders’ societies. Rikus van Wyk Porterville, who won the dairy show last year, describes Livestock as “of international quality, with an exceptional atmosphere”. Andrew Masterson of the Eastern Cape, who received top honours in the Beef interbreed championships for the second year in a row, says Livestock is the “best marketing opportunity for the industry” with “first-class facilities and a “sky high standard where you can measure yourself against the best”.

Small as well as commercial farmers can obtain free advice from experts during Livestock’s popular information days, supported by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and Standard Bank. Dairy goat farmers – and anyone interested in small stock dairy – can attend the Dairy Goat Information Day on Thursday 10 October, whilst the Beef Cattle Information Day, with interesting speakers such as Llewellyn Angus, takes place on Friday 11 October.

Around 2 500 primary and high school learners annually visit the expo for a free agricultural eductional programme, supported by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. The programme includes eleven interactive stations where learners can experience cows being milked; get up close with different animals; and learn more about agricultural careers through the WCDoA’s Connect Agri exhibition.

New at this year’s Livestock is a show by the Western Cape Arabian Horse Club. The programme also includes the Western Cape Dairy Goat Championships, the Old Mutual Insure Regional Youth Show, the Landbouweekblad Challenge for handlers and carers, the Cape Rabbit Club’s Spring Show, the third annual SA Working Sheepdog Auction and a variety of other activities.

Various stalls will sell farm food, wine and craft beer as part of the Groot Plaasproe which is held on Saturday 12 as well as Sunday 13 October this year. The weekend programme also includes braai competitions and performances by popular artists and line dancers.

Livestock takes place daily from 09:00 to 17:00. Visit www.livestock.org.za for the full programme. Tickets are available from Computicket and at the gate at R120 for adults, R60 for pensioners (Thursday and Friday), R30 for scholars (free Thursday and Friday) and free for children under six years. For more information, contact Agri-Expo on 021-975 4440 or admin@agriexpo.co.za.

RELEASED BY

Isabeau Botha

Corporate Communication Manager

Agri-Expo

www.agriexpo.co.za

021 975 4440/072 247 5868

isabeau@agriexpo.co.za

Vinpro Press Release

11 July 2019.

Vinpro condemns opportunism in SA wine industry, supports legal processes

The South African wine industry organisation Vinpro strongly condemns opportunism and will continue to support any individuals or entities who follow due ethical and legal procedures to counter or avoid exploitation of any form.

This follows two recent instances in which South African wine farms were accused by certain labour groups of not acting in an ethical or lawful manner.

“We have faith in the judicial system and the ethical accreditation processes the industry has in place and will continue to support any individual or entity who have followed due legal procedures in cases brought against them,” Vinpro MD Rico Basson says.

In latest developments, Windmeul Cellar, the May family and Drakenstein Municipality may come to a formal agreement regarding the family’s accommodation following a mediation process. Mediation discussions took place this week after the Land Claims Court dismissed the May family’s bid to have their eviction from Windmeul Cellar in Paarl rescinded in a written judgement mid-June.

According to a statement by Windmeul Cellar on 13 June 2019, the May family raised certain allegations against Windmeul Cellar in fresh court proceedings subsequent to the family’s legal eviction on 26 March 2019 after nearly a three year legal process. Only one person, Zonwabile Alfred May, was previously employed by Windmeul Cellar, but his employment was duly and legally terminated in November 2008 after he was found guilty of illegally selling liquor on the property.

Since the eviction the May family has set up camp outside the gates of Windmeul Cellar’s premises and has chosen not to accept the emergency accommodation offered by Drakenstein Municipality. The allegations against Windmeul Cellar were considered by acting Judge Justice Canca, who dismissed the application.

According to Windmeul Cellar the recent mediation discussions took place in good faith and they were confident that a formal agreement would be to the benefit of all parties involved.

In another instance, a labour group made allegations of poor working conditions against 10 Stellenbosch wine farms, by handing out flyers to attendees at the Stellenbosch Wine Festival on 7 and 8 April 2019.

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA) conducted an investigation following discussions with Wieta (Wine and Agriculture Ethical Trade Association) and the Stellenbosch Wine Route, in which the Department found that none of the allegations could be substantiated on any of the farms. According to the WCDoA report, the investigation included engagements with agri workers as well as the producers and/or farm management.

Although the outcome of the Windmeul mediation and the findings of the investigation into the Stellenbosch farms were positive developments, Basson speaks out strongly against commentary by certain labour groups in the media aimed at instigating sensationalism and opportunism.

“The South African wine industry is on a journey with key stakeholders. We know our supporters are with us on this journey and we will not be distracted by opportunistic commentary that disregards the historic context, current realities and transformation and development plans we’ve set ourselves for social and environmental sustainability,” Basson says.

He condemns the actions of groups who deliberately seek to cause disruption and break down relationships between stakeholders in the wine industry, to the detriment of the parties involved and South Africa as a whole.

“This, while various forums have been put in place to facilitate open dialogue between Government, industry and civil society. Despite several invitations to participate in these forums, the parties who make these statements have thus far chosen not to. It is encouraging that there are a number of labour groups who do work constructively with Government and industry partners towards a stronger, more sustainable South African wine industry,” says Basson.

Issued by: Vinpro

Media enquiries:
Wanda Augustyn
Vinpro Communications Manager
Tel: 021 276 0463
E-mail: wanda@wineland.co.za

The Impact of Ecommerce on Alcohol Trading

3 July 2019. IWSR Drinks Market Analysis’ global database now captures just how effective drinks players have been at selling digitally. Although variances inevitably exist between markets, the results for 2018 show that 1.8% of the value of all alcoholic drinks traded around the globe is now sold through ecommerce.