Pernod Ricard Continues To Lift Spirits By Investing R29.7million Into Local Economies
Pernod Ricard Continues To Lift Spirits By Investing R29.7million Into Local Economies. In their continuing bid to help invigorate job creation and small business development, Pernod Ricard, the world’s second-largest wine and spirits producer, is investing R29.7 million this year into the development of local artisans as part of its Phakamisa iSpirit campaign.
Run in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED) and Furntech, the campaign is now capacitating its second cohort of makers. Last year, with the help of Furntech, Phakamisa iSpirit helped train two artisans who have since gone on to start their own businesses. That number will now grow to eight, with three of the makers being women. As South Africa’s only Centre of Excellence for the furniture industry, this year’ intake of makers will also have access to Furntech’s impressive repository of resources and practitioners. Over the coming years, Phakamisa iSpirit will look to create several sustainable environments for these artisans to run their future businesses by assisting in the expansion of the makers incubation programmes across Gauteng.
Gregory Leymarie, CEO, Pernod Ricard South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa says, “At Pernod Ricard our core purpose is to work together to create conditions for sustainable growth – growth that respects our environment and our communities and growth that is collectively profitable for all our stakeholders: employees, shareholders, customers, consumers and citizens. We believe that as a multi-national, it is our responsibility to support the markets where we operate and to invest in the local economy. Within this context Pernod Ricard took a bold decision a few years ago to re-route festive season investment traditionally spent on imports, into the local SA economy instead, and we will continue to do so through our Phakamisa iSpirit campaign.”
Over the past two years, over R60 million has been invested locally through this campaign. Part of this investment went directly into improving the lives of local makers in the form of training and financial assistance for their businesses, as well as providing them with access to market opportunities. This year, South Africans can help by purchasing a bottle from one of the participating brands – Ballantine’s Finest, Absolut Vodka Original, Beefeater London Dry gin, and Chivas Regal 12 yr old – each presented in its own unique packaging – of which R5 from every bottle sold will go towards providing local artisans with SETA-accredited courses covering business management, manufacturing, technology, and accounting, as most artisans do not have formal training.
Leymarie says, “As a corporate citizen in South Africa, it is our responsibility to invest in the local economy and our local makers. They are the lifeblood of the country’s economy and by empowering them we can uplift a nation.
