Nondumiso Pikashe, a South African entrepreneur creating a proud indigenous wine brand (2021) — Lionesses of Africa

Impact Partner Content – Absa

Exciting things are happening in South Africa’s winelands with a new generation of entrepreneurs making great wines for the local and global market place and building new brands to watch. Ses’fikile Wines, founded by Nondumiso Pikashe, is one brand making a name for itself and winning fans both locally and abroad.

Ses’fikile Wines is one of the 117 companies showcased at the Absa Lionesses Xpo. Lioness Weekender chatted to its founder, Nondumiso Pikashe, a passionate wine brand creator about her entrepreneurial journey and vision for the future.

What does your company do?

Ses’fikile is an IsiXhosa concept which means “we have arrived.” This celebratory phrase narrates a journey which is continuous. It is a story characterized by trials and tribulations yet looks positively to the future. This is a story of a teacher who got into the wine industry with her entrepreneurial spirit. Ses’fikile wines borrows from this background. We produce wines under the Ses’fikile and Matriarch labels. Our wines are for both the domestic and export markets. We collaborate with distributors for ease of access to markets. Our target market is LSM 6-10 with channels being hotels chains, restaurants and event management companies. We also cater for intimate groups for private wine tastings and food pairings. We are looking for partners to expose young people from the townships to career paths in the obscure wine industry and inversely educate them about alcohol abuse.

What inspired you to start your company?

My Grandfather raised my mother and her siblings through his struggling business in the early 30s in Langa, Cape Town. I was drawn to the wine business in particular because of its mystery. My curiosity and what I discovered made me not look back.