Entries open for first SA brandy innovation challenge

© pavelis - 123RF

To be eligible for the prize, participants are required to enter an innovative product development for brandy, with the purpose of contemporising the category. Entries close on 20 October 2021.

The competition was conceived by the South African Brandy Foundation, the organisation that serves as the official guardian of the spirit’s unique South African heritage.

“From the very beginnings over 300 years ago right up to its status as world champion, South African brandy has been sustained by evolution and innovation. The South African Brandy Innovation Challenge seeks to harness that DNA in plotting its success into the future,” says foundation director Christelle Reade-Jahn.

“We are looking for creative out-of-the-barrel thinkers, brandy blending enthusiasts and those with a game-changing business idea that encapsulates the character of premium South African brandy to share the spirit with the country.”

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Entry criteria

To be in the running for the prizes, entrants must:
1. Create their own innovative brandy brand and produce a business plan that includes a launch proposal and marketing strategy;
2. Submit a comprehensive proposal by email to innovation@sabrandy.co.za on or before 20 October 2021.
3. To qualify for entry, the brandy needs to adhere to the Liquor Products Act definition of Potstill/Cape brandy, Vintage brandy or blended brandy.

At the close of the competition deadline, the best entries will be selected from proposals and chosen entrants will be required to present their business proposal to a panel of industry experts.

Once announced, winners will be mentored and assisted to bring and launch their products into the South African consumer market.

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“The South African Brandy Innovation Challenge can be the opportunity of a lifetime for budding entrepreneurs looking for a way to realise an idea they’ve been sitting on, hoping to find the resources,” says Reade-Jahn. “For us, it’s a chance to contribute to reinvigorating the category and show the enthusiasm with which South Africans enjoy a truly home-grown and excellent spirit.”

For more info about the South African Brandy Foundation’s Innovation Challenge, visit www.sabrandy.co.za/innovation-challenge.