How Elizabeth Petersen Managed To Get Her Wine Brand Off The Ground
How Elizabeth Petersen Managed To Get Her Wine Brand Off The Ground. Libby’s Pride aims to provide wines of exceptional variety of character, fruit-forward with smooth and silky texture, bright and delicate aromatics. Diversity makes the difference for Libby’s Pride Wines. The wines have been selected to suit different markets and consumer needs. From the initial 4 varieties, the brand now boasts a series of 10 wines in the range. These are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Chardonnay, Sweet White, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet, Pinotage, Sweet Red blend and a Sweet Rosé.
It has not been an easy journey for Elizabeth Petersen (Libby). She took a leap of faith and started her own wine company in 2009. In the early years she struggled to get funding to grow her business, black-owned brands did not get the recognition or support they deserved and it was only after the South African Wine Industry Transformation Unit SAWITU was established in 2016, that she could start seeing a remarkable change.
Administrative challenges that SAWITU assisted with are VAT registration, financial mentorship and acquiring a liquor license for Libby’s Pride Wines. These are important steps to independence and invaluable to small businesses to operate legally in South Africa.
“My business grows exponentially with different forms of assistance and support since we became members of SAWITU, but one of the things that picks me up on a bad day and makes every successful business deal more special, is the personal attention of Wendy Petersen, the Operations Manager of SAWITU. I cannot measure it in rands and cents, but it is invaluable to me as a person and renews my hope for a better future for black-owned brands in South Africa.”
Trading in good quality is first and foremost the business of Libby’s Pride Wines. These wines are produced under the management team of Libby’s Pride and wine maker Hennie Huskinsson and as per requirements of the company clientele. Hennie Huskisson, is one of the rising stars on the Cape winemaking scene. Hennie was schooled at Paarl Gymnasium and studied agriculture and cellar technology at Elsenburg, where, in 1994, he received the KWV trophy for the best student in cellar technology.
Libby’s Pride Wines started with 60 cases of mixed wine that was sold out of hand and also had to be used for tastings. Today, they sell up to 4000 cases per year, have listings with national retailers like Pick n Pay, Checkers, Spar and more.
