CAPE TOWN - The power of investing in the energy, passion and hunger of determined young people who just want a chance to better themselves has spawned a brand new wine.
ULutsha Wine, which means “youth” in isiXhosa, is a first of its kind Pinotage student wine that was crafted by a team of nine 2020 Pinotage Youth Development Academy (PYDA) graduates.
The project came into reality through a partnership with Delheim Estate in Stellenbosch and the first bottles were put on the market last month. More than 200 limited edition bottles of the uLutsha Pinotage 2019 exist.
The brand, which started as a learning project, has now also inspired aspiring black businesswomen who are eager to become the next Ntsiki Biyela, South Africa's first black female winemaker.
When graduate Ziyanda Njalo couldn’t further her studies in 2018 she worked as a merchandiser at Pick n Pay.
During that same year the 23-year-old from Wallacedene in Kraaifontein also fell pregnant, but this did not discourage her from believing the world was her oyster.
“It was in 2019 when I was a cashier and a friend of mine who graduated from the academy encouraged me to apply. Most of our studies in 2020 were online due to Covid-19 and we only had one month of doing practicals. That is where I fell in love with the winemaking industry. I see myself being one of those young women breaking barriers in the sector, changing the stigma and having my own vineyards.
“I manage uLutsha now, including doing proposals, marketing and ensuring we have sales,” she said.
Njalo, who has coordinated the project on a full-time basis, said it took them three months to create a marketing and business plan as well as their brand name uLutsha.
She said they were able to cultivate a medium full-bodied wine with firm tannins and medium acidity.
“Choosing to continue with the uLutsha Wine project has expanded my knowledge and skills of the wine business. Wine making is no easy task.
Everyone that I have met has taught me that you must know your ’whys’ and always have a plan. Ulutsha is a wine brand that inspires young people who want to create their own brands and be employers of tomorrow,” said Njalo.
Another graduate, Sisipho Giyama ,24, from Kayamandi in Stellenbosch said when she found out about the academy she had been at home after being rejected by tertiary institutions and found that job hunting was also not easy.
“In 2019 I applied at PYDA after seeing some young people wearing the academy’s T-shirts. They informed me about the short course programmes where one gets skilled and earns a certificate which assists in finding employment in a specific field.
“One of them shared her story. She was so passionate about wine and tourism. This got me interested, I wanted that zeal. I am now working at a wine estate, learning a lot, and my family is so proud,” said Giyama.
According to PYDA executive director Nikki Munro the academy was founded to develop and assist young South African talent enter the employment market, especially amid high unemployment rates.
Though not exclusively involved in the wine industry, of its 436 graduates, 303 have chosen to embark on wine training.
“It is extremely exciting to see what is possible when young passion and commitment meets opportunity. There are serious limits to available jobs in the current economy and as such this innovative partnership gives focus to other economic possibilities.”
Delheim executive director Nora Thiel said the estate had always been involved in education programmes and had been a long-time employer of PYDA graduates since 2012.
“Our aim is to develop an all-inclusive, structured learnership, where students get to work across all departments in a company. The aim was to give them an in-depth and complete understanding of how a company works; a seamless grasp of the inter-connectedness of everything,” said Thiel.
This long-term partnership will cultivate what they hope will be "a legacy element" which will see future graduates bottle wine passed on from barrel to barrel.
The second group of graduates has since begun the learning experience, which requires them to create their own barrel from start to finish.
To order a bottle contact ulutsha@ pyda.co.za
Cape Times