DrinksBiz Podcast with Holger Meier

Thank you for joining us on our journey TO THE TOP OF SANI. In PART 1, we visit Peel's Honey for a honey tasting with sommelier Derrick dos Santos. In PART 2 we discover a fantastic community high up in Bulwer our guest is Hans Fokkens owner of Wildsky Paragliding. In PART 3, we visit Reichenau Mission situated midway between Bulwer and Underberg. In PART 4 David Peo from Dithabeng Private Tours gives us some insider tips about the trip up Sani Pass. In PART 5 of our journey we are joined by Khapametsi Maleke, owner of Sani Mountain Escape, Khapametsi shares her own story with us, then she tells us how she came to own this wonderful lodge, she gives us some travel tips and then tells us about some of the attractions in the area. It is hard to believe how isolated Sani was and still is and how all the supplies have to be fetched from Underberg. After the recording we discuss the pros and cons of setting up a brewery in destination like Sani top. https://www.sanimountain.co.za/ Find out more at https://holger.pinecast.co

Thank you for joining us on our journey TO THE TOP OF SANI. In PART 1, we visit Peel's Honey for a honey tasting with sommelier Derrick dos Santos. In PART 2 we discover a fantastic community high up in Bulwer our guest is Hannes Fokkens owner of Wildsky Paragliding. In PART 3, we visit Reichenau Mission situated midway between Bulwer and Underberg. In PART 4 of our journey David Peo from Dithabeng Private Tours gives us some insider tips about the trip up Sani Pass and what else to look out for in Lesotho. David offers private tours up Sani Pass as well as cross land tours of Lesotho. We then talk to Mothiba Thamae from Sani Wines in Lesotho. In the final part of our journey we will be joined by Khapametsi Maleke, owner of Sani Lodge. Links: https://www.instagram.com/dithabengpvttours https://www.facebook.com/SaniWinesLesotho/

Thank you for joining us on our journey TO THE TOP OF SANI. In PART 1, we visit Peel's Honey for a honey tasting with sommelier Derrick dos Santos. In PART 2 we discover a fantastic community high up in Bulwer our guest is Hannes Fokkens owner of Wildsky Paragliding. In PART 3 of our journey, we visit Reichenau Mission situated midway between Bulwer and Underberg. Reichenau, the little sustainable village, has literally been running on water since it was established by Trappist monks in the 19th century. Hugh Bland, one of the great chronicler's of the architectural heritage of KZN and publisher of THE TRAPPIST MISSIONS KWAZULU-NATAL'S FORGOTTEN TREASURE, takes us on a journey to some of the 22 monasteries established by the Austrian monks in this region. We are then joined by Peter Frow, who heads up the team of volunteers who have restored the old mill at Reichenau. In PART 4 of our journey we head to the beautiful historic village of Himeville where we meet David Peo, owner of diThabeng Tours who will accompany us up the Sani Pass. Links: Hugh Bland - KZN : A Photographic Record www.kznpr.co.za is intended to be the single most comprehensive image based record of Historical, Heritage and Architectural sites in KZN between 2012 and 2022. To date has posted about 85000 images on the site. Peter Frow - Reichenau.net Mdu Zuma - Tourist Guide at Reichenau Mill (076 150 1984) Order La Trappe Beer - https://www.beerandbarrel.com/about-us/la-trappe Rob Riedlinger helped me publish The Beer Book. Accommodation - https://www.kingsgrant.co.za

To Top of Sani - Part 2 Save Wildsky Paragliding Club BackaBuddy campaign: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/hans-fokkens-5365530788106783796 In TO THE TOP OF SANI - PART 1, we visit Peel's Honey for a honey tasting with sommelier Derrick dos Santos. From Peels honey we take the R617 through Boston and the scenic Umkomaas River valley and we are now heading to Bulwer, where we are visiting Hans and Ria Fokkens at the Wildsky Paragliding school and backpackers lodge. https://www.wildsky.co.za/ In Part 2 of TO THE TOP OF SANI with The Beer Explorer we discover a fantastic community high up in Bulwer. In this episode I chat with Hans Fokkens about the wonderful community he and Ria Fokkens have created at Wild Sky Paragliding, only a day later, their lodge at Wild Sky Paragliding was completely destroyed by a tragic fire. In the midst of this big loss, I am overwhelmed by the response from Paragliding community. Interested in experiencing this wonderful sport? Now would be a great time to book for a tandem paragliding flight with them - https://www.wildsky.co.za/contact or support them via BackaBuddy https://www.backabuddy.co.za/.../hans-fokkens... Thanks for joining me in this conversation with Hans and thanks to Gary Amstutz and Emma Emanuel giving us some insights into this wonderful community.

Our journey to the Top of Sani starts with a honey tasting at Peel's Honey at Exit 99 Merrivale/Underberg just off the N3. Holger Meier talks to Derrick Dos Santos who tells us more about Peel's Honey, which was founded nearly a 100 years ago. The Peel's Honey shop offers authentic local products, a fantastic range of honey products, honey on tap and a tasting of 10+ different types of honey. https://peels.co.za/ beerexplorer #maluti #drakensberg #bucketlistdestination #podcast

Epic Mountain Passes of South Africa with Herman Kistner and Joe Lüdemann - Part 3 This episode covers the final days of our journey. The highlight of the trip, the Baviaanskloof, then the Gamtoos Valley and the Elands River Valley. Accommodation http://www.meijersrust.co.za/ https://www.baviaansklooftourism.co.za/listing/bakkrans http://www.makkedaat.co.za/ https://www.gonjah.co.za/ https://www.facebook.com/badenhorstslaghuis1807/ https://www.facebook.com/people/Jay-Jays-Bikes/100057480518021/ https://www.tolbos.co.za/ https://padlangs.com/ www.littlebrewery.co.za

Epic Mountain Passes of South Africa with Herman Kistner and Joe Lüdemann - Part 2 This episode covers days 3 & 4 of our tour. We talk about the Karoo towns of Cradock, Pearston, Jansenville. Mount Stewart, Steytlerville, Willowmore, De Rust. We cross Swaers Hoek Pass, Meirings Poort, the Swartberg Pass and drive into Die Hell/Gamkas Kloof Accommodation: http://www.marlu.co.za/ http://www.diehel.co.za/portfolio-item/oom-piets/ Oude Klowers Plaaskombuis was very helpful and let us use their telephone and wifi. https://www.diehel.com/products Hermann shares some valuable lessons and tips from the road. In the next episode, how are we going to get Joe and his damaged motorbike out of Die Hel?

Epic Mountain Passes of South Africa with Herman Kistner and Joe Lüdemann - Part 1 This episode covers days 1 & 2 of our tour. We talk about the Pitsen Pass, Naude's Nek Pass, Tiffendell, the Ben 10 challenge, and the Otto du Plessis Pass. Hermann shares some valuable lessons and tips from the road. In the next episode, we head deeper into the Karroo.

Epic Mountain Passes of South Africa with Herman Kistner and Joe Lüdemann - Introduction In this podcast, I will introduce you to Hermann Kistner and Joe Ludemann, who I joined on a trip to cross some of South Africa's best mountain passes. Hermann is a very experienced adventurer rider and has intimate knowledge of all the backroads in these parts. When I heard that Hermann was planning a trip, FOMO (the fear of missing out) got the better of me and although I don't have an adventure motorbike, I asked if I could join them in my Toyota 4x4. I have split the conversation into a number of episodes, so please subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a notification every time a new episode is uploaded: pod.link/holger For more information please visit our website at www.holger.co.za

Emma Chelius In this episode, we talk to local swimmer Emma Chelius. During the Tokyo Olympics 2020 broadcast from the pool, Emma was often seen cheering for her teammates, waving her big South African flag, and carrying a clipboard. Her behind-the-scenes videos from the poolside went viral on social media. Emma broke the South African 50 freestyle record in both the quarter and the semifinals at the Olympics. Join us as Emma shares her inspiring story. Follow Emma on social media: https://www.instagram.com/emchelius https://www.facebook.com/emchelius

Charles talks to us about his career with some of the top estates in the South African wine industry, about his experiences introducing South African wines to the export markets and about Darling where he now owns the popular Darling Wine Shop. A Podcast with Holger Meier Find out more at https://drinksbiz.pinecast.co

Hylton Smith was part of the team that first introduced Windhoek beers to the Botswana market, he then moved to Durban and joined Ian and Peter Hoyer at Team Liquor Distributors to head up sales of Windhoek beers. Hylton recalls only selling a truckload of Windhoek in their first year, but only a short four years later they sold an interlink of Windhoek beers per day during the peak season. Then in 2004, thinking that they were well on their way to becoming a real player in the liquor industry, Namibian Breweries announced the formation of Brandhouse, a joint venture with Heineken and Diageo. Hylton opted not to become part of the new corporation and joined former Windhoek colleagues Andre Homann and Craig MacKenzie in selling Bavaria beers. Andre Homann and a few former Windhoek guys then made an offer to purchase NMK Schulz from Norbert Schulz. NMK had the agency for Stella Artois, a brand which the beer guys hoped they could grow into a significant player in the local market. Hylton, now a shareholder, continued working at Team Liquor Distributors. When Ray Edwards started Tops at Spar the market started to change and in order to survive, distributors had to be able to service national chain stores. In 2016 Hylton took on new financial partners, with funds to open branches nationally they could now service national chains such as Pick n Pay. In 2018 Hylton was approached by Super Bock to distribute their beer in South Africa. At the time Super Bock was only available at the Liquor City stores. The brand was on a good growth trajectory, claiming to sell 15000 containers a year in Angola at the time. Super Bock is the leading beer brand in Portugal with a market share of more than 50% The Super Bock Group is a privately held company founded in 1890 based in Porto, Portugal. Hylton continues by sharing some interesting stories about his travels to Porto, their strategy with the brand and his journey so far. Well worth a listen! A Podcast with Holger Meier Find out more at https://drinksbiz.pinecast.co

Today's Guest is Jason Neal, owner of the Gauteng-based drinks distributor, Nicholson Smith, and creator of award-winning brands like Pandora's Box wine range. Jason “grew” up in the liquor industry following in his father's footsteps, who was Mr Ballantines Whiskey at Hiram Walker and later successfully start exporting SAB beers during the Meyer Kahn era. Jason started working at The Cellars of Hyde Park when he was only 16 years old, Jason started working at The Cellars of Hyde Park when he was only 16 years old, thereafter he cut his entrepreneurial teeth with a Sorghum Breweries in Diepsloot. After selling the brewery, Jason joined Boetie Rietoff at Somerset Wines and then he helped Italian billionaire, Count Riccardo Agusta, owner of Grand Provance, launch La Vie De Luc Mineral Water which is now the No 1 on consumption water in South Africa. Nicholson Smith was started in 1997 to import Bowman's whisky from the USA. Jason joined the company in 2005. After buying out the founding partners, Jason has been operating the business on his own since 2009. Nicholson Smith is now a complete drinks business, selling what the market demands. https://www.nicholsonsmith.co.za/ Jason Neal is also the creator of the very successful Pandora's Box wine range with the help of James Mckenzie, owner at Nabygelegen Private Cellar. https://www.nicholsonsmith.co.za/wines/itemlist/category/51-pandora-s-box Find out more at https://drinksbiz.pinecast.co

In 2016 Reinhardt Paulsen discovered gin and his restaurant, Carbon Bistro, soon became the top gin bar in the Capital. After exiting the bistro, Reinhardt started TheGinGuy.co.za an online gin and speciality spirits site, which lists about 180 gins. The most exciting recent addition is Procera gin which is made by Roger Jorgenson in Kenya. Reinhardt not only supplies gin fanatics, but he also offers a delivery service to other liquor retailers. In this episode, we learn more about Reinhardt's latest project, TheGinGuy.com. With this new site, he will be able to ship South African gins all over the world. Find out more at https://drinksbiz.pinecast.co

We reconnect with Simone Musgrave, innovative craft gin pioneer, at the recent launch of the Jasmine Jagger limited edition Musgrave 11 event at Hillcrest Tops. In this episode Simone shares how this colab came about and how she is reviving her brand which like most premium products has been badly affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns. Links: Find a link to our previous interview here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5AcXeHKeABqq6695siQdtq https://musgravespirits.com https://jasminejagger.com Hillcrest Tops Find out more at https://drinksbiz.pinecast.co

In this episode, Rob Heyns shares the news that they have bought League of Beers, the popular craft beer subscription business, back from Yuppiechef.com. Find out more at https://drinksbiz.pinecast.co

In this episode, our guest is Craft Gin's favourite son, Glenn Bryant, co-owner of the Six Dog Distillery. Glenn shares their 5+ year journey with us.   I have watched Glenn and his team closely over the last 5 years and love the way that these industry newcomers have focused on building relationships rather than rushing into outsourcing sales and distribution to third parties. A very good lesson for new brand owners.   From sixdogs.co.za to sixdogs.com Glenn has always wanted to create a product that is good enough to become a global brand. Six Dogs is already exported to 23 markets. During the liquor lockdown in South Africa, Glenn realised just how vulnerable and exposed they are to the local market, and we are very excited to hear that Six Dogs has opened a European office in the Netherlands. Following the example of the many "European Swallows", Glenn plans to work in the Netherlands during the European summers and in Cape Town during the South African summer.   We wish Glenn and the Six Dogs team all the best in this exciting new venture and trust that their work will also benefit the South African craft industry as a whole.   This podcast is available on your favourite podcast app https://pod.link/drinksbiz or on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC04XKk_DwOg2sxsQ9XZUBGQ   Visitors are welcome but by appointment only. Reach out to them here: https://sixdogs.com/contact/   A visit to the distillery may just change your opinion of craft gin.   Directions: https://g.page/sixdogsdistillery   Listen to the interview with Yvonne Bittmann-Steyn, distributor of South African craft gin in Germany: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1kU6NrZENEDtVLvTzYvVQs You can find more information about Luc Vannevel, the Belgian importer mentioned in the episode at https://www.elvama.be. The Six Dogs Gin collection includes: Six Dogs Karoo Gin, Six Dogs Blue Gin, Six Dogs Pinotage Stained Gin and Six Dogs Honey Lime Gin with plans to launch a few more. Gerrit Visser, is heading up the operation in Europe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrit-visser-57606b46  Follow the Six Dogs journey: https://www.facebook.com/sixdogsdistillery https://www.instagram.com/sixdogsdistillery/ Find out more at https://drinksbiz.pinecast.co

Carl Grossmann from Brackenhill Distillery in Waterfall, KwaZulu-Natal is our guest in this episode. I first met Carl when he was working on a project to import Malawi Gin. Carl fell in love with Malawi (Gin) when he was on an overland trip through that beautiful country. Malawi Gin is owned by a big conglomerate that did not want to grant exclusive distribution rights to anyone, so Carl moved on and now owns his own distillery. Carl uses ancient heritage grain varieties as a basis for their gin, vodka and whiskey. His packaging, logos and labels also reflect his local roots. Umzuzwane, or lemon bush, a small, fragrant plant gives the gin a local flavour. The distillery offers a very impressive gin making experience and also sells their products directly to the public. The distillery was recently featured on Inside Africa on CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/03/11/inside-africa-craft-alcohol-beer-liquor-spc.cnn https://www.brackenhillcraft.co.za/

Welcome to DrinksBiz Radio, a beverage industry podcast.   Our guest is Elzette Marais owner and distiller of Majamela Distilleries in Polokwane.    Polokwane is about 2 hours drive north of Tswane and about 2 hours drive from the Zimbabwe border. Polokwane is a thriving city that services the Limpopo province.   Neels Marais started home distilling about 25 years ago. Recently his daughter Elzette caught the distilling bug and joined him in the little venture. Today Majemela is a fully licensed commercial distillery.   The surrounding farmlands are very fertile and the father and daughter team distill whatever seasonal fruit they can get their hands on.   Commercially they produce a range of gins as well as an alcoholic shake. This dairy-based ready-to-drink product is unique and definitely one of a kind in South Africa.   Majamela is currently looking for distribution partners across South Africa.   You can find more information at: https://www.facebook.com/flockingGin/ https://www.facebook.com/MajamelaShakes/

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Today's guest is Ryan Williams the founder of Gydo.me. Gydo is a app the enables you to buy a frined a beer at his favourite brewery or winery.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierHolger visits the Mhoba Rum Distillery on the Greaves Family Farm near Malelane Mhoba is a farm to bottle, hand-made sugarcane rum made on the Greaves Family Farm near Malelane in the Lowveld.After trying to market and promote Mhoba in South Africa, the bulk of the Mhoba Rum is now exported to France. La Maison du Whisky, Mhoba’s partner is also the sole distributor of major whisky brands such as The Dalmore, Jura, Compass Box and Nikka.Listen to my podcast interview with Robert Greaves on Pocket Casts or your favourite Podcasting App. We talk about authentic rum and ponder about ways in which we could help retailers in South Africa sell more rum. Robert has a very interesting story and is a mine of knowledge. Well worth a listen.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierHolger visits Tanya Cruse at her new concept store, Gin & Co in the Casterbridge Centre in White River. Gin & Co is the home of Dollie Gin and Rottcher Winery. Gin & Co offers gin tastings as well as retail sales of local craft gin and rums.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierDario Scilipoti, the founder of Bluebird Coffee Roastery is our guest today.Bluebird Coffee Roastery was awarded the coveted Best New Roastery award at the prestigious FNB Coffee Magazine gala event recently.Dario talks about his journey and explains the technical aspects of roasting coffee. Coffee supply chain is very complicated and not very transparent. Dario hopes to change this.The way that coffee is being traded around the world is really unsustainable. Coffee is often traded at below the cost price. The commodity price of coffee has actually decrease over the last 20 years.As a roaster, Dario wants to support as supply chain that is sustainable.Dario explains that the big brands are masters of consistency whereas the specialy brands are masters at offering a flavour experiences.Dario explains: Third wave coffee - connecting the consumer directly with the coffee Gourmet Coffee - marketing term Specialty Coffee - rated at more 80 by Q-ratersBluebird Coffe is available at: Hillcrest Kwikspar Salt Rock Coffee company

Rob Heyns is back, and explains to us how he is helping retailers find interesting solutions for their problems. We talk about getting funding and raising capital. Rob shares his vision about creating a canning "ecosystem" for his latest business, the TinyKeg mobile canning business. Variety at a good price rather than quantity at a good price, is the motto! Watch Building A Brand: https://youtu.be/mxgOY2Ms-YI

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierPodcasting time with John M Murray. John's long career in cider making has taken him to 83 countries around the world. John worked for HP Bulmer, once the world largest cider maker, for forty years. In the 1980's John opened a cider mill in Elgin and in the late 1990's he was part of the team that opened the Bulmer SA cider plant in Centurion (situated next to the old Bavaria Brau brewery).

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierSean Wakeford one of Holger's oldest industry friends is a guest in this episode. We take a walk down memory lane, from the days at the Crossways Hotel to Bierfassl were he has just celebrated his 20th year anniversary. Stubbornly unique, makes it stand out and difficult to copy and difficult to compete. There must be a reason for people to visit your outlet. What makes your outlet unique. Next time you visit the Bierfassl ask for an Eisbein, a Erdinger Weissbier and a Kleiner Keiler or a merry mountain goat.Sean is always willing to try new ideas and believes in offering his customers something that they can treat themselves with. Sean reminded me our trip the Wartburger Hof and he tells me that I insisted that he had to Wartburg before he was qualified to open the Bierfasl.Both Sean and Holger turn 50 years old this year and are now official industry veterans.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierOur guest Alwyn Liebenberg studied transport economics at University and then worked in the distribution department of SAB Polokwane.Alwyn has a passion for port and wines. He has made many trips to Portugal and has worked at numerous distillers and wine businesses.Alwyn believes blending is the key to making great products and believes he learned this valuable lesson from the Portugese. Alwyn takes us on adventure of starting a bootstrapping wine and gin adventure.Alwyn sees himself as the Uber of winemaking. Alwayn shares with us how he started a a wine and gin business in the new “Uber” economy. He obviously refers to the new Sharing Economy which is the term used for the new economy where you don't own a farm, a warehouse a distillery.Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor http://lieben.wine/

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier. The beverage industry does not have a formal association for business owners and industry professionals, making it hard to find information and making the right connections in the industry.Holger introduces the DrinksBiz community for business owners and and professionals and explains how this can add value to your business.For more information visit www.drinksbiz.co.zaFind out more at https://holger.pinecast.co

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierTo celebrate our wedding anniversary, we are reversing the mics and Brenda is in the studio to interview Holger. Join us to listen to Holger's story.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierWe caught up with Jan-Nico Coetzee, KwaZulu-Natal's favourite wine ou, before his move back to the Cape. We talk wine, craft beer and gin with Jan-Nico. Jan-Nico proudly tells us about the progress the local Kzn wine farms are making.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierFrom South Sudan to Cambodia, our guest, Louis Peters, loves working with beer sales teams. Louis started his beer career as a SAB sales rep east of Pretoria, but soon was appointed to his dream and was responsible for training sales teams for SAB all over Africa. From Tanzania to war-torn South Sudan, and selling traditional beer in Botswana and Kwa-Zulu Natal, Louis is a hands on sales expert and adventurer who even sold wine in Ethiopia. Another call from the SAB old boys club and Louis was off to South East Asia, to help a 5 million hectolitre-family brewery in Cambodia.Not only for the Beverage Industry Professionals and Entrepreneurs.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierDirk Prinsloo is the distiller of Floating Dutchman Rum. Floating Dutchman Rum is distilled at Frankenstill Distillery based at Triggerfish Brewing in Somerset West. Dirk explains, in detail, how he distills his rum using locally sourced ingredients and then rests the rum in locally sourced red wine barrels.Rum is a very interesting spirit, but it is still a very young spirit in South Africa, so look out for some exciting stuff in the next few years.Someone needs to start a TIKI Bar.Dirk always tries to have some interesting Floating Dutchman cocktails on tap at the Triggerfish Taproom.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierListen to Tony da Costa owner of Liquor City Claremont, one of my favourite speciality liquor stores in South Africa. Tony does so much of what we stand for and teach at DrinksBiz.Tony da Costa opened his little Liquor City Claremont and an OK store only 7 years ago. From the beginning Tony focused on service and on being different. Tony’s team has a tremendous amount of product knowledge and always try use their knowledge to help and up-sell their customers. From the start Tony did not want a typical Liquor Store to compete with Chain Stores, he wanted something different. When asked if anyone can copy this concept, Tony thinks he is lucky to be in a good area, but everyone can make a success by being different and supporting smaller brands. BUT it is not easy. It is a FULL TIME business placing orders and find new brands. The bottle store does 2.5 times the turnover of a supermarket. Tony has 3 people who are employed to place the 300 - 400 orders every week. 40% of Tony’s turnover is from wine.Tips for a good wine business: Keep lots of stock!Tony has a whisky club, with about 100 members, that meets once a month. Where a brand ambassadors present products. A Gin club is next on the cards.Beer about 43% is craft and import and the rest Heineken and SAB in Rand value. He does promote the smaller brands by giving less exposure and space to them.Liquor City Claremont is a destinations store and customers travel from all over to visit the store. People will travel if you offer good service and a good selection. Tony spends a lot of time in the store himself.Tony meets with his team once a week to discuss the business and train them about new products.Tony has noticed that all the chains are reducing their craft beer selection so he is increasing his range of local craft and imported beer. Canned Craft beer is working very well. Rob Heyns has started a mobile canning operation, Tiny Keg, that is supplying many exciting new beers in cans.Tony has a massive selection of 500 whiskies. Tony makes sure his knowledge of whisky is better than other retailers.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierToday's guest is craft gin pioneer, Simon von Witt, who started making liqueurs after enjoying aperitifs in Italy. His first taste of Inverroche Gin inspired him to start experimenting with Gin. Simon founded the Woodstock Gin Co which he sold to E Snell & Co and he is now working on a range of new brands for Distillers Union, his new distillery.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierInteresting conversation with Bryce Kennard, the founder of Copper Republic Distilling Co. Bryce a former pub owner who started his beverage career exporting cheap spirits into Africa has made a complete turnaround now makes super-premium spirits with awesome packaging.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Unofficial ambassador of Brazil's national cocktail, Ludgero Da Cruz, master salesman and storyteller, joins us in this episode of the DrinksBiz Podcast. Ludgero is a veteran of the Beverage Industry and one of the founders of Covert Distributions, importers of Arbikie Distillery's range, Cachaça da Tulha and Richland Rum.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Kasper Hagedorn, one of the founders of Knut Hansen Dry Gin, joins us on this episode of the DrinksBiz Podcast, from Munich. Kasper shares his journey of starting a world class gin brand in Germany in the beautiful stoneware bottle with the picture of the famous Hamburg sailor. Knut Hansen is now available in more than 15 countries, including South Africa.Kasper tells us that they were able to outsource most parts of the business. Just last our last guest, Grant McMurray from Zululand Distilling Co, Kasper and Martin have just taken delivery of their brand new still from Arnold Holstein GmbH. The distillery will be in Lokstedt, Hamburg.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierGrant McMurray, the founder of Zululand Distillery, joins us in this show. Grant is a successful entrepreneur who started a distillery as a way to add value to his sugarcane crop. Grant talks to us about his essential oils business, SOIL and the challenges they have had launching Tapanga Rum.

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Philosophy of rum Whistling your own tune. Like all good stories this story starts sipping a poor rum.South Africans had very little access to rum culture. It’s great to know that we now have 8 distilleries that focus on producing rum.THE RULES FOR AFRICAN STYLE RUM The rum must be distilled, aged and matured in Africa, Only use equipment designed and manufactured by Africans, Distilled by a born and bred African master distiller, Distilled using only African sourced sugar cane and sugar cane byproducts, Distilled to no more than 170 proof, Matured in barrels that previously contained other African spirits.Difficult to reach rum fanatics. Festivals at: Klein Kaap in Centurion Showmanagers lanseriaRum finished in a Boplaas whisky barrel with Daniel Nel

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Inacio de Gouveia manages Woodstock direct, a craft beer and gin wholesaler and Woodstock Liquors, a specialist liquor retailer in the heart of Woodstock, Cape Town. Inacio shares his journey from working in bars and restaurants in London and Cape Town, to working as a sales rep and eventually starting a distribution and retail business. Inacio is a great supporter of the craft industry.

In today's show we talk to Ntsiki Biyela. Ntsiki Biyela grew up in Mahlabathini, a small rural village in northern KwaZulu-Natal, not far from where I grew up on the edge of the Pongola River on the northern border of KwaZulu-Natal. Ntsiki was awarded an SAA scholarship to study at Stellenbosch University. Ntsiki shares her journey of studying at an Afrikaans university, to become the first black female wine maker in South Africa.

Is Mindful Drinking the “Next Big Thing”? Sean O’Connor the organiser of the Mindful Drinking Festival agrees with me. We both think the low and non alcoholic drinks category is something that retailers have to watch out for. Find out more about Sean and his event at https://www.mindfuldrinking.co.za/

In today's show we are joined by Yvonne Bittman-Steyn, the German importer of Inverroche Gin. Yvonne has been a supporter of Inverroche Gin since she first saw the product at the Wine Village in Hermanus. Yvonne's family business, Südafrika Genuss, has been importing Inverroche Gin since 2011. For more information about Südafrika Genuss visit: https://suedafrika-genuss.de/ and to find out more about Susanne Schneider and Springfontein Eats visit: http://www.springfontein.co.za/content/springfontein-eats

In today's show we are joined by Lorna Scott, founder of Inverroche Distillery. We talk to Lorna about her journey and about the news that Pernod Ricard has acquired a share in the business.A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger MeierToday's questions is: How to import beer into South Africa. Myles Oelofse of Nordic Craft imports Mikkeller beer from Denmark. Holger asked Myles to help answer the question, as he has just been through the whole process. Myles recommends starting the process with obtaining the NLA (National Liquor Authority) distributors licence from the DTI in Pretoria. He further explains how the new tariff code procedure has been changed by SARS. Importers now need a tariff code.Myles is married to a Dane and studied in Copenhagen where he met the founders of Mikkeller Beer and they belonged to a beer club. Mikkeller now exports his beers to over 50 countries worldwide and he has opened a number of bars around the world: http://mikkeller.dk/locations/Myles not only offers valuable lessons of how to import beer, but he also shares his story of how he ended up importing this world famous beer to South Africa.

In this episode we meet the founders of Lohocla at The Landmark in Bryanston. These three young and dynamic entrepreneurs have been working to rid the world of hangovers since 2013. Holger gets a chance to taste the "LifeSaver".Lohocla™ (alcohol spelt backwards) is the world's first premium anti-hangover shooter.​ Its best to consume Lohocla after the party/before you sleep for the best results in preventing hangover symptoms, but we know people forget, so it can also be drank in the morning and sometimes some serious people might need to drink both before they sleep and when they wake up.

Today's guest is Hendre' Barnard, Training and Marketing Manager at Distillique. https://www.facebook.com/hendre.barnard Southern African Craft Distilling Institute www.sacdi.co.za Distillique Beverages www.distillique.co.za

GET YOUR SHINE ON! In this Podcast we head West. And hidden deep inside an old abandoned Mine building we find The Moonshine Man, Mark Taverner.Let's learn more about Moonshine. We visit Silver Creek Craft Distillery and talk Moonshine with the Moonshine Man, Mark Taverner, who studied at Moonshine University and named his Craft Distillery after the Silver Creek Mountain Band (with permission). Subscribe to our podcast holger.co.za/podcast

030 Jacqueline GroblerIn this podcast Jacqueline Grobler shares the story of how she ends up in the Gin and alcohol business with . The journey takes us from her backyard to a state of the art distillery in Johannesburg.If you ever get the opportunity to visit Angel Heart in Linbro Park you must do so. Jax has an amazing set up and lots of passion for the industry. Thanks Jacqueline, you are always a great host!

Today we have Michael Olivier, South Africa's much loved wine and food commentator on the show. (https://www.michaelolivier.co.za) (https://www.instagram.com/manmetdiepan)

Episode Notes Andre van Heerden bought a farm to allow his wife to start a rose garden, which is now a successful farm, lodge, restaurant, distillery and farm stall.