VinPro and Wine Cellars SA to merge
Two South African wine producer organisations, VinPro and Wine Cellars South Africa (WCSA), are set to merge, in an attempt to bring synergy and effective service delivery to wine producers and cellars, and to augment this sector's bargaining power and influence.
This year marks VinPro's tenth anniversary as the representative organisation for 3,600 wine producers, while WCSA has acted on behalf of 56 producer cellars - who process 75% of the total South African wine grape harvest - since 1951.
The merger was announced during WCSA's Annual Congress by chairperson, Henk Bruwer. It is the result of deliberations over the past few years regarding closer collaboration between VinPro and WCSA, with the aims of, inter alia, preventing duplication between the two bodies, creating bargaining power and improving existing service delivery in the wine value-chain.
The new, larger organisation will operate under the auspices of VinPro as from 1 July this year, with the possibility of a name change to be considered going forward. A new producer cellar division will be established within the organisation, and the current VinPro board will be supplemented by WCSA members.
It is hoped that this merger will streamline the wine industry of South Africa to handle future challenges more efficiently.
