Meet SA's first black-owned gin
LANDING a bursary worth R100 000 for Khayelitsha-based craft gin business Mayine Gin is set to elevate the firm to remarkable success, which means job creation.
Mayine Gin is South Africa’s first black-owned gin brand, launched last year by husband and wife team Luvoyo and Nodumo Jongile.
The Jongiles were awarded a R100 000 bursary over the weekend to help grow their business, culminating in a trip to London’s Juniperlooza Festival next year on World Gin Day to tell their story and promote their brand to the rest of the world.
Jean Buckham, owner of South Africa’s premier craft gin club, The Gin Box, said the South African Gin Business Bursary was the first of its kind, not just in South Africa, but in Africa and would be the first of many.
“We plan to support one up-and-coming artisan within the gin industry every year within the programme,” she said.
Mayine Gin was chosen as the recipient of the award because of the hard work, love and commitment the husband and wife team had already poured into the brand, said Buckham.
“It was clear this was a long-term project for the pair, and the brand was at a point in its growth where an injection of resources and guidance was needed to take Mayine Gin to the next level.”
Buckham added that The Gin Box loved the story behind the brand and the potential it showed for the growth of the African gin industry.
Jongile (Luvuyo) said he was excited to imagine where he would be in a year’s time and what would unfold.
“It’s great to see an African gin make it, and the warm reception we have received thus far has been overwhelming. We even received love as far as Europe and American countries. As Mayine Gin grows, it will mean job creation, through education and skills development in our industry.”
The Mayine concept was born in 2015, with the first two years spent on research and development, and Mayine Gin was launched in November last year, Jongile said.
In terms of future growth, Mayine Gin would remain in Khayelitsha and they hoped to create a centre within the township that would promote local skills and employment.
Jongile said employment through upskilling and education of the community was a very personal goal for him and Nodumo.
The SA Gin Business Bursary Award will give them the opportunity to meet and learn from other distillers within the industry and to travel and collect information to build their brand.
The R100 000 will cover a wide variety of sponsorship funding and skills development across craft gin with some of the industry’s leading distillers, as well as an integrated entrepreneur development programme from Startup School valued at R19 000, four sponsored marketing and sales trips to Johannesburg, gin industry festival and expo tickets, attendance at all Cape Town’s Heavy Chef marketing seminars, one-on-one social media and PR training, and a video rig to document his journey online.
Jongile attended his first promotional event with The Gin Box in Illovo, Johannesburg, on Saturday during the launch of World Gin Day.
The bursary will conclude a year later and he will be flown all-expenses paid to the world-famous gin festival, Juniperlooza, and mix with some of the world’s biggest names in gin and his journey and progress will be shared internationally.
Jongile said he was excited to receive this support: “To continue to improve and perfect my gins will be one thing, but to receive the guidance in how to grow my business quickly and improve my marketing is another… I can’t thank The Gin Box team enough.”
WE PLAN TO SUPPORT ONE UP-AND-COMNG ARTISAN WITHIN THE INDUSTRY EVERY YEAR