Change has been forced upon all of us in recent years, not just in South Africa, but across the globe. Many concrete systems have started to welcome new perspectives, approaches and energies. Adding new, authentic dimensions adds value when any system is ready for change.
“I felt that the time was right to open up things in the wine industry, to introduce more diversity into the industry. The best way to do that was to become a wine entrepreneur and make a difference from within.” Koni believes that growing diversity in the wine industry is key to its survival, with women, Black, Indian, and Coloured people poised to bring new ideas, different thinking, and diverse mindsets to an industry that needs to innovate to survive in an environment constrained by COVID-19 and impacted by ever-soaring excise costs.

Koni Maliehe, born in Soweto, Rockville but partly raised by her loving grandparents in the Eastern Cape before settling in Cape Town. She spent most of her career in the Financial Services sector as Head of Training & People Management, resigned to start a wine business in 2015.

I observed that each time there is a bottle of wine open, theres people and stories. We need to turn those moments into engaging, fruitful conversation about our heritage as citizens of South Africa, says Koni Maliehe.