Description
ISAW, the International Society of Africans in Wine, is a US-based
501c3, whose mission is building sustainable communities through
viticulture. In April 2010, ISAW is hosting Drink Well Do Good, a 13-
city global tour of cultural exhibitions and concerts.
Drink Well Do Good raises funds for ISAW to develop a training
center for South African farmers, and partners with local and
international charities raising money and awareness for their
respective causes.
ISAW utilizes wine as a means of poverty reduction in Africa. The goal of ISAW is to develop a viticultural and commercial training center in South Africa. The Center, the ISAW Institute, will be built on the M'hudi Farm in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The M'hudi farm is a historic plot of land, owned by the Ranganka family--the first black family-owned vineyard in South Africa.
ISAW has the potential to close one of the largest commercial socioeconomic gaps in the world.
The South African wine is a $3.5 billion sector in which only two black
families own vineyards, though they account for 90% of the population and the 300,000-person workforce. With funding of approximately $200K, ISAW is able to train workers for the value-added jobs that blacks are currently excluded from, as
they do not have the proper training. ISAW’s training will improve wages, reduce poverty and inequity, develop entrepreneurs, and improve the sustainability of this vital industry.
