A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Today's guest is Ryan Williams the founder of Gydo.me. Gydo is a app the enables you to buy a frined a beer at his favourite brewery or winery.

DrinksBiz Podcast with Holger Meier

Episode 59: Ryan Williams - Gydo.me

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Holger visits the Mhoba Rum Distillery on the Greaves Family Farm near Malelane Mhoba is a farm to bottle, hand-made sugarcane rum made on the Greaves Family Farm near Malelane in the Lowveld. After trying to market and promote Mhoba in South Africa, the bulk of the Mhoba Rum is now exported to France. La Maison du Whisky, Mhoba’s partner is also the sole distributor of major whisky brands such as The Dalmore, Jura, Compass Box and Nikka. Listen to my podcast interview with Robert Greaves on Pocket Casts or your favourite Podcasting App. We talk about authentic rum and ponder about ways in which we could help retailers in South Africa sell more rum. Robert has a very interesting story and is a mine of knowledge. Well worth a listen.

Robert Greaves Mhoba Rum

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Holger visits Tanya Cruse at her new concept store, Gin & Co in the Casterbridge Centre in White River. Gin & Co is the home of Dollie Gin and Rottcher Winery. Gin & Co offers gin tastings as well as retail sales of local craft gin and rums.

Tanya Cruse - Gin & Co

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Dario Scilipoti, the founder of Bluebird Coffee Roastery is our guest today. Bluebird Coffee Roastery was awarded the coveted Best New Roastery award at the prestigious FNB Coffee Magazine gala event recently. Dario talks about his journey and explains the technical aspects of roasting coffee. Coffee supply chain is very complicated and not very transparent. Dario hopes to change this. The way that coffee is being traded around the world is really unsustainable. Coffee is often traded at below the cost price. The commodity price of coffee has actually decrease over the last 20 years. As a roaster, Dario wants to support as supply chain that is sustainable. Dario explains that the big brands are masters of consistency whereas the specialy brands are masters at offering a flavour experiences. Dario explains: Third wave coffee - connecting the consumer directly with the coffee Gourmet Coffee - marketing term Specialty Coffee - rated at more 80 by Q-raters Bluebird Coffe is available at: Hillcrest Kwikspar Salt Rock Coffee company

Dario Scilipoti - Bluebird Coffee Roastery

Rob Heyns is back, and explains to us how he is helping retailers find interesting solutions for their problems. We talk about getting funding and raising capital. Rob shares his vision about creating a canning "ecosystem" for his latest business, the TinyKeg mobile canning business. Variety at a good price rather than quantity at a good price, is the motto! Watch Building A Brand: https://youtu.be/mxgOY2Ms-YI

Rob Heyns - Puts cool craft stuff in a box and then ships it!

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Podcasting time with John M Murray. John's long career in cider making has taken him to 83 countries around the world. John worked for HP Bulmer, once the world largest cider maker, for forty years. In the 1980's John opened a cider mill in Elgin and in the late 1990's he was part of the team that opened the Bulmer SA cider plant in Centurion (situated next to the old Bavaria Brau brewery). 

John Murray - International Cider Maker

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Sean Wakeford one of Holger's oldest industry friends is a guest in this episode. We take a walk down memory lane, from the days at the Crossways Hotel to Bierfassl were he has just celebrated his 20th year anniversary. Stubbornly unique, makes it stand out and difficult to copy and difficult to compete. There must be a reason for people to visit your outlet. What makes your outlet unique. Next time you visit the Bierfassl ask for an Eisbein, a Erdinger Weissbier and a Kleiner Keiler or a merry mountain goat. Sean is always willing to try new ideas and believes in offering his customers something that they can treat themselves with. Sean reminded me our trip the Wartburger Hof and he tells me that I insisted that he had to Wartburg before he was qualified to open the Bierfasl. Both Sean and Holger turn 50 years old this year and are now official industry veterans.

Sean Wakeford - Bierfassl

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Our guest Alwyn Liebenberg studied transport economics at University and then worked in the distribution department of SAB Polokwane. Alwyn has a passion for port and wines. He has made many trips to Portugal and has worked at numerous distillers and wine businesses. Alwyn believes blending is the key to making great products and believes he learned this valuable lesson from the Portugese. Alwyn takes us on adventure of starting a bootstrapping wine and gin adventure. Alwyn sees himself as the Uber of winemaking. Alwayn shares with us how he started a a wine and gin business in the new “Uber” economy. He obviously refers to the new Sharing Economy which is the term used for the new economy where you don't own a farm, a warehouse a distillery. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor http://lieben.wine/

Alwyn Liebenberg - Lieben Wine and Gin

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier. The beverage industry does not have a formal association for business owners and industry professionals, making it hard to find information and making the right connections in the industry. Holger introduces the DrinksBiz community for business owners and and professionals and explains how this can add value to your business. For more information visit www.drinksbiz.co.za Find out more at https://holger.pinecast.co

Get connected: Introducing the DrinksBiz Network and community

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier To celebrate our wedding anniversary, we are reversing the mics and Brenda is in the studio to interview Holger. Join us to listen to Holger's story.

Mic turnaround: Holger Meier with Brenda Meier

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier We caught up with Jan-Nico Coetzee, KwaZulu-Natal's favourite wine ou, before his move back to the Cape. We talk wine, craft beer and gin with Jan-Nico. Jan-Nico proudly tells us about the progress the local Kzn wine farms are making.

Jan-Nico Coetzee - Meander Fine Wines

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier From South Sudan to Cambodia, our guest, Louis Peters, loves working with beer sales teams. Louis started his beer career as a SAB sales rep east of Pretoria, but soon was appointed to his dream and was responsible for training sales teams for SAB all over Africa. From Tanzania to war-torn South Sudan, and selling traditional beer in Botswana and Kwa-Zulu Natal, Louis is a hands on sales expert and adventurer who even sold wine in Ethiopia. Another call from the SAB old boys club and Louis was off to South East Asia, to help a 5 million hectolitre-family brewery in Cambodia. Not only for the Beverage Industry Professionals and Entrepreneurs.

Louis Peters - Sales Development Manager Africa and Adventurer

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Dirk Prinsloo is the distiller of Floating Dutchman Rum. Floating Dutchman Rum is distilled at Frankenstill Distillery based at Triggerfish Brewing in Somerset West. Dirk explains, in detail, how he distills his rum using locally sourced ingredients and then rests the rum in locally sourced red wine barrels. Rum is a very interesting spirit, but it is still a very young spirit in South Africa, so look out for some exciting stuff in the next few years. Someone needs to start a TIKI Bar. Dirk always tries to have some interesting Floating Dutchman cocktails on tap at the Triggerfish Taproom.

Dirk Prinsloo - Floating Dutchman Rum

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Listen to Tony da Costa owner of Liquor City Claremont, one of my favourite speciality liquor stores in South Africa. Tony does so much of what we stand for and teach at DrinksBiz. Tony da Costa opened his little Liquor City Claremont and an OK store only 7 years ago. From the beginning Tony focused on service and on being different. Tony’s team has a tremendous amount of product knowledge and always try use their knowledge to help and up-sell their customers. From the start Tony did not want a typical Liquor Store to compete with Chain Stores, he wanted something different. When asked if anyone can copy this concept, Tony thinks he is lucky to be in a good area, but everyone can make a success by being different and supporting smaller brands. BUT it is not easy. It is a FULL TIME business placing orders and find new brands. The bottle store does 2.5 times the turnover of a supermarket. Tony has 3 people who are employed to place the 300 - 400 orders every week. 40% of Tony’s turnover is from wine. Tips for a good wine business: Keep lots of stock! Tony has a whisky club, with about 100 members, that meets once a month. Where a brand ambassadors present products. A Gin club is next on the cards. Beer about 43% is craft and import and the rest Heineken and SAB in Rand value. He does promote the smaller brands by giving less exposure and space to them. Liquor City Claremont is a destinations store and customers travel from all over to visit the store. People will travel if you offer good service and a good selection. Tony spends a lot of time in the store himself. Tony meets with his team once a week to discuss the business and train them about new products. Tony has noticed that all the chains are reducing their craft beer selection so he is increasing his range of local craft and imported beer. Canned Craft beer is working very well. Rob Heyns has started a mobile canning operation, Tiny Keg, that is supplying many exciting new beers in cans. Tony has a massive selection of 500 whiskies. Tony makes sure his knowledge of whisky is better than other retailers.

Tony da Costa - Liquor City Claremont

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier Today's guest is craft gin pioneer, Simon von Witt, who started making liqueurs after enjoying aperitifs in Italy. His first taste of Inverroche Gin inspired him to start experimenting with Gin. Simon founded the Woodstock Gin Co which he sold to E Snell & Co and he is now working on a range of new brands for Distillers Union, his new distillery.

Simon von Witt - Distillers Union

A Beverage Industry Podcast with Holger Meier. Brought to you by www.DrinksBiz.co.za, a mighty network for business owners and professionals in the beverage industry.

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DrinksBiz Podcast with Holger Meier

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