After falling in love with the Cape winelands while studying at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Siwela Masoga was inspired to start a wine label. But the journey to success has not been easy.
A biotechnologist, she founded Siwela Wines in 2018, pursuing her passion for making wine and entering an industry she believed did not include enough young black women.
"I wanted to inspire other people who had an interest either in the winemaking space or industries that were not a norm for them to pursue their passion," she said.
After working at a winery for five years, she was employed by spirit and winemaker Distell, which is now part of Heineken Beverages. With this experience behind her, Masoga felt confident enough to start a business.
Having been retrenched by Distell, she invested her retrenchment package in Siwela Wines, marking the start of a difficult, yet successful, journey. Located in Hartbeespoort in North West, Siwela Wines is a private label operating within an existing winery. Masoga says the company rents production space and uses the grape selection available at the winery every year to make its wines.
"I started with one bottle when we launched in 2018; today we have 11 different wines in our collection."
Siwela found access to the market challenging for an emerging winemaker. Part of this was trying to convince retailers to place the product on their shelves.
"A lot of the time I find that my product is compared to mass producers, who already have a strong customer base and have resources to advertise and attract more people. In a sense, this pushes you out of the market."
Limited funding opportunities also posed a challenge. While Masoga invested her own money, she did not have enough to grow the business and increase the number of employees.
She says this had been especially hard as there were not many funding opportunities for businesses in the liquor industry.
"This will be the journey for everyone looking to pursue a career in winemaking. You will have to invest your own money, and it will take time to start getting profit back. For two years I relied on my family for financial assistance as I had invested all my funds into the business."
Five years into the journey, in 2023, Masoga received some funding from South Africa Wine, an organisation that recently started supporting winemakers.
Today, Siwela Wines employs five people; three part-time and two permanent.
Prices range from R110 to R180 a bottle. Masoga says that on average the company sells 600 bottles a month. She says the most popular wine in her collection is the flagship Grace Red.
"People love it so much. And I appreciate that, because this bottle was made in honour of my mother, Grace."
The wine can be found at selected Spar stores and the company recently partnered with Massmart’s Makro to stock it at its outlets. The selection is also served at the University of Johannesburg’s School of Tourism and Hospitality’s restaurants as part of the institution’s collaboration with Siwela Wines.
"This is a collaboration I am very excited about," Masoga says. "I tend to work with them a lot, especially during events tailored to celebrate women. They definitely support the brand, and I appreciate it."
As a strategy to grow the business, Masoga also operates a tasting room in Hartbeespoort, where she offers wine tasting with chocolate, cheese and biltong pairings. She also runs an online wine academy with courses on how to become a wine connoisseur; the entrepreneurship of winemaking; and how to serve wine professionally.
"I am passionate about wine and this platform allows me to share my knowledge while encouraging aspiring winemakers to enter the space. The academy doesn’t only focus on winemaking but the business side of it as well."
Looking at the future of the company, Masoga says her goal is to have tasting rooms around the country, to expose Siwela Wines to more potential buyers. She also wants to share her knowledge of wine with others through mentorship programmes.
"I want to build a sustainable brand, one that will remain long after I am gone — and, let’s be honest, wine is not going anywhere. So it would be nice to share my knowledge and encourage more young black women to become winemakers."
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