It’s Women’s Month and South African women continue to excel in their respective fields.
Women in Wine, a small enterprise in South Africa that is fully owned and managed by women, is expanding its brand by launching a new range of wines that will be exclusively available at Shoprite nationwide.
Beverly Farmer, the co-founder of the brand, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity.
“It’s a collaboration that celebrates diversity, innovation and the power of black woman-owned enterprises. We’re deeply thankful to Shoprite for embracing small businesses like ours,” she said.
Founded by 20 professional black women from diverse backgrounds in viticulture, Women in Wine is known for empowering women through employment opportunities.
The founders have established the Farm Worker Women’s Trust, collaborating with strategic partners to identify on-the-job training opportunities and benefiting about 200 female vineyard workers.
One of the beneficiaries of Farm Worker Women’s Trust is Ursula Vriesenhof, who started as a picker on one of the farms and worked her way up to an administrative role.
“I was exposed to industry events and related training, significantly boosting my confidence and advancing my career prospects,” said Vriesenhof. “Now, I’ve come full circle – I’m back in the vineyards, but this time as a supervisor.”
What’s special about the new Women In Wine range is that it honours the wines' character and craftsmanship, celebrating the invaluable role of female producers.