From left to right: Clifford van der Venter, chairman of the Groot Constantia Trust; Wynand Retief, founder of Van Loveren; Nico Retief, founder of Van Loveren; Neil Retief, viticulturist of Van Loveren; Phillip Retief, MD of Van Loveren; Bussell Retief, cellarmaster and production director of Van Loveren; Hennie Retief, viticulturist of Van Loveren; and Willem Jordaan, editor of Die Burger.
The Retiefs of Van Loveren Family Vineyards (VLFV) have been awarded the coveted 1659 Award for Visionary Leadership. The 2026 honour, conferred by the organisers of South Africa’s annual Wine Harvest Commemorative Event, recognises the family’s extensive and ongoing contribution to the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the local industry.
VLFV MD Philip Retief, his brother Neil and cousins Hennie and Bussell Retief together have created what is arguably now the country’s largest independent wine company. Exporting to 70 countries, it has interests across many of the Cape’s key wine-growing areas, from the family’s home base of Robertson to Stellenbosch, Paarl, the Swartland, Tradouw and Worcester.
Since 2006, when the four Retief cousins, representing the third generation, took over the running of the family-owned business, they have forged a versatile suite of specialty and popular wine brands while upping investment in vineyards, infrastructure and distribution. They also have diversified into other types of farming, played a key role in accelerating skills development and black economic inclusion, while promoting conservation and finding ways to lighten their environmental impact.
Says Philip Retief: “We are immensely proud to have been affirmed by the industry in this way. It is a great honour to join such luminaries as Ken Forrester, Tim Hutchinson, Johan Krige and Carmen Stevens as recent examples. We four cousins are a tight-knit team who with our colleagues have made sustainability across the board our mantra. To that end, we stay nimble, diversified and continue to invest in talent, innovation and opportunities in wine and wine tourism.”
Apart from their standout achievements in conceiving and building blockbuster brands such as Four Cousins, Almost Zero and the PET-packaged Tangled Tree, they are also the owners of highly successful Loxtonia cider. It has further elevated its presence at the prestige end of the market through a series of strategic acquisitions in recent times, complementing specialty labels such as the multi-awarded Christina, Van Loveren and Zandvliet. Among these are a majority stake in Neil Ellis Wines of Stellenbosch and full ownership of Landskroon in Paarl. These VLFV’s acquisitions also serve to protect the legacies of two leading Cape winemaking families while keeping ownership in South African hands.
VLFV also recently took over Overhex Wines in its entirety, along with its production facility in Worcester and the premium Survivor brand.
These latest investments have raised VLFV’s participation in South Africa’s fast-growing wine tourism sector to a total of seven wine tourism venues, each with its own employment and skills creation ecosystem.
As part of their focus on resilience, the Retiefs have also extended the principle of diversification to the types of crops they farm. They cultivate cherries, almonds, stone and citrus fruits, olives and avocados.
Economic inclusion and empowerment of farm workers form an important part of the business’s long-term sustainability efforts. Van Loveren farm workers, for example, hold a 26% stake in the Five’s Reserve brand, with annual dividends reinvested into the local community.
In addition, at De Goree, a 138-ha farm near Robertson, VLFV has partnered with its workers, who hold a 52% share. Its Middelburg farm includes a farm worker entity, Mzala Wines, that holds a 30% stake in this 832 ha multi-crop enterprise. Meanwhile, it co-owns Olyfberg, a 1 230-ha farm on the outskirts of Robertson. Planted mainly to olives and grapes, its majority shareholder is BEE agricultural entity, the Karaan Family Trust.
As part of its ongoing commitment to skills development, VLFV has partnered with the Afri Training Institute to deliver an accredited, year-long work-integrated learning programme focused on farming, crop production, entrepreneurship and data analytics.
Self-sufficiency and resilience are cornerstones of the business. Solar power investment means VLFV is meeting close to 40% of its own energy needs. It has set aside 2 500 ha to conservation and for rehabilitation to indigenous habitat and is a major supporter of rhino conservation via the Rhino Run brand. And by curtailing its environmental impact, it has earned silver status from the Confronting Climate Change (CCC) initiative that identifies and responds to risks and opportunities linked to carbon emissions in South African wine and fruit farming.