Where did you grow up? Did you have any hobbies, sports or extra curricular activities you were passionate about?
My formative years were spent living in Caledon, where my father was the local butcher. He was Jewish and part of a very small Jewish community in the country. We moved to Hermanus when I was 8 – and simply loved the freedom of the sea, the beach, the cliff paths, waves, swimming and being active outside in the sun. I am still happiest near the ocean and took up surfing at the age of 40. I also love to play tennis and sing, having started my own little singing group a few years back. We have lots of fun!
What are your family like?
I have 2 older siblings and I am married to Kevin Kidson. He and I founded wine.co.za together in 1996 just after we had our first child – a daughter, Leila, who is making a name for herself in the world of film production. She produced an incredibly beautiful doccie called TIDAL as part of her UCT Film Honours course last year. Our son Miles has just started on his tertiary education journey at UCT, studying Physics, Maths, Computer Science & Applied Maths! My kids are both musical and we love music, and they both work annually at the Standard Bank Jazz Fest for fun!
For someone who never wanted to have children, I so enjoy mine now, and must be one of the proudest mums in the world.
How did you come to be involved in the South African wine industry?
Kevin and I loved wine, in how it renews itself annually, and with 15 years of IT experience behind us and the internet was just starting, we thought a wine portal would be the perfect next step. Wouldn't anyone?
What do you enjoy most about the work you do?
Making connections and networking – putting people in touch with the right people and businesses. Making a difference in people’s lives and seeing them develop, grow and shine is very rewarding. We have had at least 50 people come through the wine.co.za work place since 1996, and I have enjoyed seeing their progress and kept in touch with most of them over the years.
What in your legacy at wine.co.za you most proud of?
Having created a company with integrity, professionalism, family values, good ethics, and also having started the #wineforgood initiative a few years ago, and published over 150 great stories. We try to make a difference by focusing on projects which do good, breeding positivity, rather than harbouring on negativity.
Our relationships and support of organizations who feel the same are very important to me, ie: The Pebbles Project, Winetech Study Groups, StreetSmartSA, Thunderchild, Wine Training SA and SKOP. We have a close relationship with PYDA (Pinotage Youth Development Academy) and have 2 graduates working for us. With the employment rate at a shocking 29% in SA, it is imperative that we skill up our youth. We are proud to have started a learnership program with the PYDA, by creating employment for one graduate each year and affording them the opportunity for work experience in the wine industry.
It really gives me a kick to see young hard-working people growing, finding their strengths and making their way in the wine world, having come from difficult circumstances where opportunities were (and still are) severely lacking.
What would you like to see changed in the South African wine industry?
The gap between the haves and have-nots is still massive in South Africa. If the wine industry is more financially sustainable, it would be able to pay its workforce better, thus equalizing things more. It would be great to see a fully profitable wine industry, which means prices will need to increase, which is not good for the consumer, but will make for a much more stable and sustainable industry. The demographic is still very male and white, but changing slowly but surely. I would love to see some black-owned wine brands really succeed.
What advice do you have to young women beginning their journeys in the SA wine industry?
If you love what you are doing and really want to succeed, keep at it, work hard, be professional, be prompt, be ethical, network and be genuine. Never give up!
A part of our brand new content system!
In the week leading up to Women's Day we at wine.co.za are pioneering a brand new style of content just for you. With intriguing curated content designed to pique your interest in South African wine, coupled with an overarching theme for each week and a specific style for each week day, we're bringing you the content you love in an exciting new way. The first week of August is themed after Women's Day, this week we're celebrating the women of the SA wine industry, with the hashtag #WomeninWine. Each day of the week also has it's own purpose and corresponding hashtag.
- On Mondays we celebrate someone making waves in the industry with #VinoPeople, this is usually in the form of an interview.
- Tuesdays are for learning, with #LearnAboutWine, where we seek out something 'soft' for new enthusiasts and something 'hard' for our lovers of all things technical.
- Wednesday is about getting out and visiting a new winery, and thus we have #VisitAWinery, where we will be exploring new and established estates to kickstart your interest!
- Thursdays have us yearning for the weekend, and what better way to do that than to have a look at upcoming wine events? #Winehappenings has us examining the awesome lineup for the weekend and beyond, so you can start planning early!
- Fridays are for wine tasting and #Tastefriday will continue to serve that role on our Instagram as we taste the finest of the winelands in a proper Friday fashion.
- And finally, Saturday's are for our Shop, with #WineSale, where we bring you the hottest new deals on fine wine, with delivery in South Africa absolutely free! Care for Cab Sauv but unsure on a favourite? Try our 'Taste of Cabernet Sauvignon' Taste-pack and enjoy six of the best from wineries across SA. Or have a favourite winery in mind? Indulge in a Taste-pack of your favourite winery and share the good times and wines, with friends!