At an event at Zorgvliet, the Elsenberg Old Boys Association ( EKOV) presented 28 awards to the first ever graduates from its SKOP 3 (Senior Cellar Staff Training) program, but this was not the important thing.
The Minister of Agriculture, Cobus Dowry, gave a rousing speech about his youth, growing up while his father worked on a farm, and he himself starting life as a farm labourer; and the hardships that he has had to overcome to get to his position today, the will and the perseverance that was necessary - to stick to the task, no matter how dejected you feel. It was a speech that was rooted in the earth, as is our Minister.
But this was not the important thing.
The important thing was the spirit, or more appropriately, the gees - the pride, the confidence and the camaraderie of the graduates, and their skin colour. This was the first brown event I have ever attended in this industry. In an industry still dominated by whites, it was refreshing to see the new blood coming through - and coming through from grass roots level. The 28 cellar workers put everything they had into studying to qualify for SKOP 3 – and it showed on the evening. Confidence was a word that came to mind quite a few times. To see, as one speaker put it, the previously ‘invisible’ cellar workers take the podium and speak with absolute confidence, to tell us the difference this course has made to their lives, the dream (and realities in some cases) of doing a harvest in Burgundy, of what a life-changing process it has been.
In speaking to some of the graduates the stories were all very similar. Lack of knowledge kept them in boring, mundane jobs with no responsibility and absolutely no career development prospects. Along came SKOP and at the completion of the course, the knowledge: they now know and understand exactly why they need to do what they do, and how they fit into the big picture – an indispensable cog in the machinery of modern-day wine production. Then there was the hope and the vision of their future – a much brighter and far more fulfilling future. They are all in agreement: the future is bright for them, but also for the South African wine industry. They now know that they can achieve so much more, and they intend to.
I have no doubt in my mind that we will see many of these formerly invisible cellar workers being called upon to receive winemaker awards in the next few years. No doubt at all. I, as a complete outsider to the group, felt proud - proud of their achievements, proud to be in an industry that is starting to turn the corner in a very positive and constructive way. If your winery has not enrolled members of your staff in the SKOP program I suggest you take a good look at what they are offering. It goes way beyond education. It is a groundswell movement that is going to slowly change the face of our industry, and that is a very important thing.
This is true empowerment.