Entrepreneur and social impact advocate Lesego Serolong Holzapfel wants the American market to get a taste of Mzansi through rosé-tinted glasses.
At Wednesday’s Taste of Africa held at the Chuks Collins Show Room at Berkeley College in New York City — a joint collaboration with the South African Consulate-General in New York and the African Fashion Council — Holzapfel greeted a packed showroom of guests who lined up to sample the varietals from rosé to chenin blanc and Shiraz, produced in Franschhoek and Swartland.
Holzapfel has been working non-stop, in the run-up to the global launch of her wine. “Moedi means ‘stream of water’ in Setswana, and Moedi Wines is a social enterprise which was inspired by my life as an exchange student years ago in the US,” she told the Sunday Times.
Born in the village of Taung, in the southern area of North West, and raised in Mahikeng — Holzapfel became an orphan at 14 after her mother’s sudden death.
She attended the Tiger Kloof School, where the mother of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a student; and one of Lesego’s mentors, the late Dr Ruth Mompati, was Nelson Mandela’s secretary and board member of the school.
Through Tiger Kloof’s Round Square Exchange Programme, Holzapfel attended St Cyprians in Cape Town.
I was struggling to find any wines from back home, so I thought, ‘how do we solve this problem?’
— Lesego Serolong Holzapfel
“When I was 14, I received an opportunity to come to New York, as an exchange student at an amazing school on the Upper West Side, called Trinity College. I was hosted by an African-American family and they lived in Harlem, and their daughter went to Trinity as well.
“The family’s generosity inspired me and literally changed my perspective. I ended up coming back to the US again to pursue my undergraduate (degree) at City College of New York.”
It was during Holzapfel’s undergraduate studies in New York that she quickly became frustrated with the lack of South African wines on the shelves.
“I was struggling to find any wines from back home, so I thought, ‘how do we solve this problem?’”
So Holzapfel, who has a Master's Degree of Science (MSc) in Social Policy and Development from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the City College of New York, decided to do something and created her own brand of wines.
“Solving this problem is through cultivating the wines and coupling it with impact. When you’re in South Africa, you get so spoilt, you know, because wine is cheap and available everywhere. But in the US, African wine has less than 1% market share.
“I’m hoping to change that narrative and bring in more products from South Africa. Our wines embody the modern and vibrant Africa that we are today, with an authentic appeal to consumers, through our sustainable and social impact work.”
A bottle of rosé sells for R128.80 in South Africa, and retails for $22.70 (about R407) in the US.
A portion of profits is allocated to female beekeepers, and 5% of the proceeds is donated to Bee Loved Honey produced by Bokamoso Brand. The brand — which she owns — promotes women’s empowerment and environmental programmes in rural South African communities.
“We work with over 200 beekeepers from across South Africa. We manufacture hives and we buy back all the honey that they produce. The honey is FDA [Food and Drug Administration]-certified, and we’ll bring it into the US as well.”
Her passion and devotion to the community, also extends to helping orphans such as herself.
“Our wine benefits our social impact work, where we also give a portion of our profits to orphans. My husband Neil and I started a nonprofit in the US and UK called Raise the Children International, RaiseTheChildren.org, where we donate 5% of the proceeds to orphans for them to attend high-performing schools like St Stithians College and others across South Africa.
“Giving people an opportunity to purchase our wines, helps to contribute to making a difference in South Africa.”
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