Vivian Kleynhans: A trailblazer in South Africa's wine industry

Vivian Kleynhans, founder and chief executive officer of Seven Sisters Vineyards in Lynedoch, Stellenbosch, is a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

Ms Kleynhans and her six sisters and brother are among the first people of colour (POC) to establish their own wine brand in South Africa in 2005.

Her interest in the industry was sparked in 2003, when she attended a roadshow hosted by the then minister of agriculture, who encouraged people of colour to venture into the higher value chain of the wine industry.

“We just came out of the apartheid regime, and I was working for a Johannesburg-based recruitment company for five years. The manager’s position became available, which I applied for but was told I was not available for people of colour.

“It was on that serendipitous day in 2003 that my interest was sparked to investigate the wine industry.

“I continued with the recruitment company for two years to 2005 while doing research and gathering information around the wine industry,” she said.

Over 20 years, Ms Kleynhans and her family developed the Seven Sisters wine brand in 42 states in America. 

In 2009, their wines were selected to be served in first and business class on American Airlines, becoming the first wine in South Africa’s 365-year’ wine history.

Retailer Wallmart selected its brands to sell in stores nationally in the US. Seven Sisters wines also clinched Silver and Double Gold awards in the United States and achieved Tim Atkins Awards in South Africa.

“We also developed a barren piece of land in Stellenbosch where we planted grapes, erected a wine cellar building, and a wine tasting facility with an art gallery.

“Since 2018, we have developed close relationships with a few wine suppliers and used some of our own grapes grown on our farm for our premium wines,” she said. 

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the vineyard. Ms Kleynhans said it was tough making inroads into the wine industry back then, as the landscape was not as transformed as it is today.

“I have very little happy memories of my early years in the wine industry. We were treated badly by industry organisations and their people.

“Apartheid appeared in silent treatment and bad behaviour all over again. I can say it was a traumatic experience. My only option to survival was to fight back.

“We tried to get into the local market, but I found this market to be closed to people of colour, and if you do get an entry into retail stores, you would not last long and make almost no profit.”

Every day was a challenge. I lost my business four times, as recently as 2018, she said.

“My very first bad experience was when my friendly wine supplier supplied me with oxidised wine. I only realised this after two years, as I did not drink or taste wine at the beginning of my wine business.

“I trusted my supplier as his wines carried double gold awards. I was so shocked and paralysed by this malicious act that I just walked away and never contacted them again. They also did not try to contact me,” she said.

Just when things started looking up for the business, they hit another bump in the road. Their next supplier, with whom they built a good relationship for seven years, failed to deliver a container of their wines to their US clients.

“One day, I realised my container that was supposed to arrive in America had never left.

"This move was to force me to hand over my overseas clients. Their words were, ‘You can remain the face of the brand and receive a commission on all deals.’

“At the time, my largest client was Walmart. My market was threatened, and we were bound to lose our largest client. I had to revert to legal aid to release the wines to be shipped to America.

“The third time, my new supplier sabotaged my overseas shipment by mixing the wine cultivars and placed it in different outer cartons. They also did not supply the correct volumes per varietal.

“When this was discovered, they just shrugged their shoulders and made as if it can be corrected with the next shipment. I could not trust them and was forced to walk away,” she recalled.

Ms Kleynhans forged ahead, again, found a fourth supplier, and introduced her new importer to her biggest US client.

“This company was so cunning, they knew exactly how to go about to get rid of me, by ignoring my calls and not allowing me back into the market to do marketing.

“After my first shipment left for the states, I never heard back from them again,” she said.

Despite all the challenges they faced during the past two decades, Ms Kleynhans continues to persevere in business.

She attributed her resilience and motivation to her faith and upbringing in the fishing village of Paternoster on the West Coast.

“I applied my mind to become a successful business owner, change my destiny, and leave a legacy for generations to come.

“We grew up with little and had to accept our circumstances, but we were raised with strong discipline, moral values, and high standards that nobody can take away.

I became spiritually strong, forged a close relationship with God, and looked to Him for guidance. Through Him I can do all things,” she said.

Ms Kleynhans said her bond with her sisters and connections with other female entrepreneurs has shaped her life tremendously.

“My sisters and I have always had a close relationship. We will have many differences, but in the end, we overcame that. Now that I know how the enemy operates, I know how to navigate life challenges.

“I have a wide range of female entrepreneurs and close relationships. Sometimes, I need to keep their arms up, and sometimes they need to keep my arms up.

"Sometimes business challenges keep us isolated, and we therefore have to create spaces to network and share life with each other,” she said.

Since opening their farm doors to the public and tourists, Ms Kleynhans and her team have trained and employed women from the surrounding farming communities, including Lynedoch and Vlottenberg.

In 2020, they founded the Seven Sisters Foundation to support surrounding farming communities through skills development, welfare solutions, and social security.

The foundation focuses especially on women and children, giving them access to opportunity, services, and equality.