Fostering the equitable redistribution of resources and expertise within the wine industry: by redesigning wine culture itself, the project creates opportunities for black an coloured people to rise and thrive in the sector.
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8th
South Africa is the 8th biggest wine producer in the world.[1]
319 M litres
of South African wine were exported in 2020.[2]
3%
of South African wine industry is owned by black South Africans.[3]
With the design of the marketplace, brand collateral and programming we wish to foreground black and brown people – their identities and cultures.
Our commitment
The Julius Baer Foundation's and Cultivate's collaboration focuses on establishing a start-up enterprise dedicated to developing business opportunities for black and coloured winemakers, producers and entrepreneurs through partnerships, training, mentoring and positive visibility by
- establishing a brand
- conducting research in the wine sector in South Africa
- developing a business incubator and detailed business plan
- developing a training academy and mentoring programme
- establishing a digital and physical marketplace for visibility, storytelling and retail
- establishing an urban wine-making cellar in Cape-Town
Historically, black people in the South African wine industry have suffered from a lack of visibility, market access and vinicultural know-how.
By providing facilities, network and training for black and coloured wine workers, Cultivate Collective creates and markets new wine brands of their own making and in their own image. The goal is to establish black wine producers and entrepreneurs as a recognised part of the industry and attract new entrants to the market.
The CULTIVATE initiative originated in 2017 from the collaboration between the Julius Baer Foundation and the Cape Wine Equity Accelerator , with the goal to address the inequality and underrepresentation of black and brown people in the South African wine industry. The project did not work as planned. In 2021, in the middle of a global pandemic and harsh lockdowns, urbanist and entrepreneur Zahira Asmal launched a whole new initiative as Cultivate Collective, establishing a collective of winemakers, producers, consultants and sommeliers and launching the new physical and digital market places. Cultivate strives today for representation and equity in the South African wine industry. It aims to inspire a wine landscape that is made in the image of the people who live and work in South Africa
The Julius Baer Foundation supports the expansion of Cultivate Collective across the South African wine industry and the joint effort will lead to:
- an increase in the volume of wine sold by black producers, sommeliers and other professionals.
- a rising number of black wine producers and entrepreneurs owning their own cellars and wine-related businesses.
- a positive visibility of black-owned wine brands in the industry.
