They say the best wines are the ones we drink with friends, a narrative shared by three Daveyton youngsters who started 1520 Wineries.
Katlego Mashilo (30), Thabo Phetla (26) and Mpho Sehau (29) have partnered with a vineyard to produce their wine.
The 1520 Wineries will offer a variety of wines at lower prices; it was officially launched on April 4.
Katlego said their slogan is “a consistent wine”, which reflects their consistency and precision in what they want. They believe as young black men, one needs to be extraordinary to achieve the impossible.
“Consistency is everything if you want to achieve anything.
“Our goal for the business is to see growth in our township, employ as many people as possible, and own a vineyard one day,” Katlego added.
“Longevity and legacy are what drives the vision of our company.”
Thabo explained that they all come from different parts of Daveyton, and they met at events hosted in the area.
“We all have children and the focus is to build a legacy for our children. We are all unemployed and our dream is employment,” said Thabo.
“When Katlego and I met, I was working at a small butchery and when we shared ideas we found that we shared a common goal, which was to launch a beverage for our township.”
Mpho said one of the challenges that they came across was getting into the market.
“Trying to convince people to switch to our product has been a bit difficult, but branding 101 says the brand we know is the brand we trust. We believe in our brand so much we have already made some pre-order sales,” said Mpho.
“If you doubt yourself in business don’t even start, the economy will regain strength. Soon, everything will run smoothly once everyone has been vaccinated, so we believe this is the time to launch to grow with the economy.”
Katlego added that wine is classy; it’s smooth and makes a statement.
“I fell in love with wine for a long time. My personal favourites are dry red wine with a good medium-rare steak or a sauvignon blanc with seafood.
“The public will have no idea what is about to hit their taste buds. We hope to serve the people the best quality wine at low prices,” he said.
“The wine will be available at selected retail stores and lounges; however, the team is still finalising some details.”
The three friends advise anyone who wants to get into business to just start, but if you have doubts, don’t do it.
“Do not procrastinate and remember, research is everything. If you want to achieve anything you need to be motivated not just when you feel like it, but every day of your life,” said the friends.
More information visit their Facebook page 1520 Wineries.
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