{"id":92607,"date":"2019-04-15T08:01:38","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T06:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oxfamfairtrade.be\/?post_type=partner&p=92607"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:43:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:43:19","slug":"koopmanskloof","status":"publish","type":"partner","link":"https:\/\/www.oxfamfairtrade.be\/en\/partners\/koopmanskloof\/","title":{"rendered":"Koopmanskloof"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

South African wine of prize-winning quality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Koopmanskloof vineyards are situated in the Stellenbosch region. This is one of the most important wine regions of South Africa<\/strong>. Wine from these parts is subject to high expectations and the fair-trade wine from Koopmanskloof lives up to them with aplomb. In recent years the organisation has racked up nominations and awards in both domestic and international<\/strong> competitions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDelivering on quality<\/a> <\/em>(info in Dutch) is really important to us. As is the way our wine is made. We don\u2019t use any machines in the pruning of our vineyards and we pick the grapes by hand\u201d<\/em>, reveals Rydal Jeftha, manager of Koopmanskloof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grapes for the Koopmanskloof wines come from six divisions with charmingly South-African names like Vredehoek and Houdenmond. Together the vineyards span 457 hectares. Just under half of this area accounts for red grapes, the rest for white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koopmanskloof processes the grapes at its own winery<\/strong>. By overseeing cultivation, harvest and production themselves, this Fairtrade enterprise retains more profit, which in turn benefits all its employees directly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

The world\u2019s first fair-trade wine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When manager Rydal Jeftha launched Koopmanskloof\u2019s Fairtrade wine, it became the first Fairtrade-certified wine in the world<\/strong>. As a true fair-trade pioneer, Rydal Jeftha seeks to further expand Koopmanskloof as a role model for sustainable development<\/strong> within the South African wine industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All its permanent employees are co-owners<\/strong> of the modern wine company. Which goes to show that black economic empowerment<\/a> is high on the agenda for Koopmanskloof. Each year the company distributes dividends as supplementary income for its employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A share of our profits goes to a fund for workers and co-owners. We use this to improve their living situations and pay for their children\u2019s education.<\/p>Rydal Jeftha, manager at Koopmanskloof<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Power to the people<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every day, Koopmanskloof takes structural action to tackle the deep-rooted social challenges still lingering from South Africa\u2019s apartheid past.
Today, 51% of the cooperative is owned by the Black community<\/strong>, with 18% held directly by field workers<\/strong>.
Under South Africa\u2019s Black Economic Empowerment<\/em> framework, \u201cBlack community\u201d includes all people of colour, as well as Asian and other ethnic minorities in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly 18%? That might sound small, but it means a lot to our community,\u201d explains Athenkosi Gosani, Fair Trade Officer at Koopmanskloof. \u201cLarge neighbouring wine farms are almost all white-owned. Here, young people now see Black role models in a sector where they were always workers, never decision-makers. Representation creates perspective. We are agents of change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable in every respect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to being fair-trade, Koopmanskloof is committed to sustainability<\/strong> in the broadest sense of the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n