SA’s First Royal Brand Reaches Out to Old Age Home

Thursday, 11 October, 2012
Abram Molelemane
Bayede!, which means ‘Hail the King’ in isiZulu, is a royal brand and social enterprise endorsed by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.
Recently the company, which produces the first ever ‘by Appointment’ range of royal wines, donated R65 000 to the Najaarsrus Old Age Home in Parys, Free State Province.

The money was raised via an auction of six bottles of Bayede! King Goodwill Zwelithini Pinotage Reserve 2010 at the National Boran cattle auction, attended by over 250 Boran breeders as well as King Goodwill Zwelithini, who was guest of honour.

This is not the first time that Bayede! has donated its profits for a good cause. Antoinette Vermooten, CEO of Bayede!, says that the largest donation made via an auction of Bayede! wine was when six bottles sold for R 75 000. The money was donated to a student scholarship fund.

Founded in 2009 through a chance meeting between King Goodwill Zwelithini and the owners of Eikendal wine farm in the Western Cape, Bayede! is the first ever royal brand endorsed by the Zulu monarch. The organisation is increasingly becoming known for its job creation initiatives, and designs and licences a large range of products including wine, clothing and bed linen, leather products, handcraft, beadwork and other items, which have been developed with maximum job creation potential in mind.

Their wines, for instance, are decorated with beadwork crafted by rural women from Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) and the Western Cape, resulting in additional job opportunities beyond the production of the wine itself.

Bayede! is also a participant in the Old Mutual Legends Programme, a Business Development initiative which supports small and community-based businesses through mentoring, skills training and other support. “Legends have been a huge help with our marketing and strategic focus particularly,” explains Bayede! CEO Antoinette Vermooten.

Najaarsrus cares for 93 aged and frail residents, most of whom cannot afford the accommodation and treatment costs. The donation from the auction will be used to subsidise their healthcare expenses.

To learn more, visit www.bayede.co.za 

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King Zwelithini poses with Bayede.
King Zwelithini poses with Bayede.

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