Van Loveren’s Big Five set to benefit Wildlife College

Southern African Wildlife College will benefit from the sale of Van Loveren’s Five’s Reserve wines

Van Loveren, the well known Robertson wine farm, has entered into a four-year agreement with the Southern African Wildlife College, which will see the College benefitting from the sale of the farm’s Five’s Reserve range of wines.

All grapes used to produce the Five’s Reserve range of wines come from a 138-hectare grape farm owned by De Goree Farming, a proud partnership between the Retief family of Van Loveren and their workers who own a 52% stake in the enterprise. Located in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, this wine farming enterprise was named the National Agri BEE project of the year (2008) and is also Fair Trade accredited with its wines being certified as such. As a proud member of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative which is aimed at minimizing further loss of threatened natural habitat; over 500 hectares of Van Loveren land has been set aside to conserve natural eco systems. This is 50% more than that of the vineyard footprint.

“The agreement with the Wildlife College is therefore a natural progression towards ensuring the protection of our natural heritage,” said Phillip Retief, CEO of Van Loveren. As part of the agreement with the Wildlife College, Van Loveren will donate a part of the proceeds of each bottle sold in the Five’s Reserve range to a fund which will help support the Wildlife College. Established by the World Wide Fund for Nature, South Africa (WWF-SA) in 1996 and supported by the Peace Parks Foundation, the Wildlife College provides hands-on, cutting edge training programmes to ensure that protected area managers are able to manage and conserve their protected areas and associated fauna and flora sustainably and in cooperation with local communities.

“We recognise the pivotal role that the Wildlife College plays in providing a new generation of conservation managers with the necessary skills to deal with key challenges facing protected area managers today. Closely linked to this is the role that nature-based tourism is set to play in the socio-economic development of southern Africa. This is clearly in line with our commitment to training, skills development and mentorship. Everyone involved is hugely enthusiastic and it’s a pleasure for the Retief family to share in the growth of the Van Loveren brands to the benefit of all our partners, added Retief.

Comprising a Chenin Blanc, a Merlot Rosé, a Pinotage and a Cabernet Sauvignon, the Five’s Reserve range of wines will be marketed locally and internationally. With the label depicting the Big Five, the range will primarily be targeted at tourist destinations particularly national parks and game reserves. Distributed through Van Loveren’s usual channels, the wine will also be exported to Europe, Asia, the USA and Africa. As with all the Van Loveren wines, emphasis will be on excellent value. Price points range from R30 for the white and rosé and R40 for the reds.
The Southern African Wildlife College
Contact: Jeanné Poultney
Tel: (011) 704-4386 Cell: 082 4582845
Email
Website

Van Loveren Family Cellar & De Goree Employees Trust
Contact: Bonita Malherbe
Tel 023 615 1505 •
Email
Website

For further information on Fair Trade Accreditation and the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative go to:
www.fairtrade.co.za
www.bwi.co.za