In spite of the fact that there are seven families who’ve distributed and controlled 90 percent of the market share of wine since the end of Prohibition, Selena Cuffe was compelled to return to the United States, following a business trip to South Africa, and launch her own wine importing business.
The Harvard business school graduate and seasoned marketing professional bonded with black vintner Vivian Kleynhans at the inaugural Soweto Wine Festival. Kleynhans, a co-founder of Seven Sisters, shared her inspiring story.
When she was young, her father lost his job at a fish-processing plant and she and her siblings were separated. When they reunited, Kleynhans launched the Seven Sisters label as a part of the African Roots brand. One fateful day, Kleynhans, the fourth born of seven sisters for whom the Sauvignon Blanc is named, was pouring a glass of Twena Sweet Rosé, a tasty grape that Cuffe fell in love with. Each varietal bears the forename of one of the seven sisters.
Cuffe and her husband Khary dreamed of “changing people’s perspectives on Africa and the Diaspora, even the way we are perceived on television and through the media.”
Khary and Selena’s inherent connection to Africa prompted the grad school sweethearts to exchange their wedding vows on Mount Sinai in Egypt, and subsequently, name their company Heritage Link Brands when it was founded in 2005.
“Africa is really the home of all human beings. We recognize that regardless of race or color, you are an African,” explains Cuffe. “We have consumers on both sides of the Atlantic who have this love and affinity for things that are both African and American, hence the heritage link. It’s as if things have come full circle. … The fastest growing millionaire population is in South Africa, which was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, forming BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa].”
The Cuffes’ business model was socially conscious long before it became trendy to do so, and their products can be found in specialty supermarkets like: Whole Foods and Wild Oats; boutique liquor stores like the franchiser WineStyles; restaurants and through a website. One of Heritage Link Brands’ more recent accomplishment is the partnership with American Airlines. The airline now serves Seven Sisters (Vivian) Sauvignon Blanc in-flight and in the Admirals Club, making it the first South African wine in the airline’s history.
Cuffe, who exclusively sells black African wines: M’hudi, iSong, One World and Seven Sisters, used her business school training and passion to change the lives of members of SABVA, the South African Black Vintners Alliance, for which Heritage Link Brands is the importer of record.
After the relationship was formed with American Airlines, the sisters were was able to acquire their very first vineyard in lush Stellenbosch, the Napa Valley of South Africa.
“South African’s wine industry dates back to the 1650s. It’s 200 years older than California’s and Australia’s wine industry was started with vines that were taken from South Africa in 1781. Because of Apartheid, no one really knows about South African wines. The value of our brand and our winery is that we get to open up a whole new world within the wine industry. We get to expose people to this rich history,” she beams.
