LA MOTTE

COMPANY PROFILE

2013

Truly, a culture of excellence.

Editorial – Christian Jordan

Production – Lauren Grey

La Motte is one of South Africa’s leading wine businesses. CEO, Hein

Koegelenberg, tells IndustrySA that this is down to quality service,

quality product and a focus on creating exceptional customer

experiences. At La Motte, everything is about quality…

Truly, a culture of excellence.

At IndustrySA, we talk to business people from across Southern Africa on a daily basis. We hear stories of business excellence, innovation and inspiration from all over the region but once in a while we talk to a company that is surrounded by a real aura of excellence and quality.

Our wine industry focus this month comes from a company which oozes class. Situated in the picturesque Franschhoek Valley in South Africa’s Cape winelands, La Motte is one of the country’s top wine producing businesses. Set in a charming historic environment, with

traditional cuisine and many other unique offerings, the company says that its home is “an enchanting destination for those who appreciate the finer things in life”.

With the global economic climate creating tough trading conditions for international export companies like La Motte and the wine industry in South Africa facing challenges including farming labour disputes, IndustrySA spoke to La Motte, CEO Hein Koegelenberg, to find out how the business is performing and what makes the company successful.We started by asking Mr Koegelenberg about the history of the business…

COMPANY REPORT

PAGE 2 MAR 13

“The farm was acquired in 1970 by Dr Anton Rupert, my father-in-law and an internationally respected industrialist. Today La Motte is owned by his daughter, Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg. She is also one of South Africa’s leading mezzo-sopranos.

“After I married Hanneli in 1998, I asked Dr Rupert, ‘how do you establish an international wine brand in the modern era?’.

“We started with the product, then with the facilities and finally we looked at marketing and PR strategies. Those are the three things we really had to work hard on. Product is the most difficult because of the time it takes to plant and grow the vines which grow the best grapes.”

Today, La Motte exports wine to countries all over the world, winning awards for quality products and a quality tourism destination. It looks as though Mr Koegelenberg’s dream of a successful international wine brand has taken shape.

THE BRANDLa Motte is not a traditionally South African name for a

wine estate and the origins of the brand name date back to a French Huguenot, Pierre Joubert who bought the farm

from his neighbour, a German immigrant named Hans Hattingh in 1709.

“We believe that Pierre Joubert named the land after the village of his birth in Provence. Viticulture on La Motte was established in 1752 with the planting of 4000 vines.

“When Dr Rupert bought the farm in 1970, the farm underwent a major development, restoration and conservation program and that reinvented La Motte into a leading global wine producer and sought after tourist destination.“Vineyards have been progressively replanted with noble varieties, the latest viticultural practices have been introduced and a modern cellar has been built. We have developed a very specific La Motte style that we can repeat on a yearly basis.

“Today, La Motte is not only a producer of internationally recognised wines but also a wine tourist destination with the award winning Pierneef à La Motte restaurant, a very special art museum and a host of unique experiences.

“This has seen the estate awarded by the Great Wine Capitals of the World as South Africa’s Best of Wine Tourism winner in 2012 and 2013,” says Mr Koegelenberg.

“This has seen the estate awarded by Great Wine Capitals of the World as the Best of South African Wine Tourism winner in 2012 and 2013”

MAR 13 PAGE 3

LA MOTTE

QUALITY SERVICE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

What is it that separates La Motte from the crowd and reinforces that culture of excellence? Mr Koegelenberg says that quality service makes the difference. Improving services levels is something that the whole industry has worked hard on over the years.

“In the past few years we have put huge effort into improving service,” says Mr Koegelenberg. “Not only La Motte but many of the other estates have worked on service. I think the service we give to a wine tourist (in South Africa), from an experience perspective, is superior to any other country in the world.”

It is this attention to detail that is becoming more and more important as it is becoming increasingly difficult to compete with products on an international scale considering the difficulties that all industries have seen as a result of the global economic slowdown.

“We have seen huge change in the behaviour of the consumer. People are buying cheaper and the retailers have become very powerful. Often there is not a lot of margin left in the system for the primary producer. That is mainly in Europe.

“South Africa and Africa, economically, are doing ok. Around eight years ago we have focused our attention on distribution in China and the Asian countries. That market is still booming. This whole crisis forced me to look at building a far reaching platform for international distribution.”

The international export of the wine from La Motte is a massively successful part of the business. You will now find La Motte in over 40 countries. “We try to get a good footprint on each continent and not just focus on one or two big clients,” says Mr Koegelenberg.

LEADING THE WAYThe success of the La Motte business to date has

seen the company grow into one of the industry leaders in South Africa. But it is not only the CEO that sees the

benefit of successful business; the local economy and environment has thrived as well.

“The unemployment rate in this country is way too high. Since 1999, with wine, we have probably created over 500 jobs.

“Environmental management is high priority for La Motte. It is factored into the long term strategy and daily running of the estate.

“In the restaurant we use water from the mountains, herbs from our gardens and our own organic vegetables. We protect the fynbos on the hills and farm organically grapes, oils and flowers. We have been farming organically since 2003.

“La Motte is one of the first wine estates to be awarded the ISO 14001 environmental management certification. The estate also complies with ISO 9000:2000 certification and has been given champion status in biodiversity and wine initiatives,” says Mr Koegelenberg.

With some many successes in different areas, it is hard to sum up how well the La Motte business has done since Dr Rupert started things in 1970. Impressively, the current CEO is not happy to sit still with the success that has come so far.

Mr Koegelenberg tells us: “We don’t sell product, we sell an experience and we hope that visitors to the estate, will always remember the experience at La Motte, wherever they go.“La Motte strives to be one of the leading wine businesses in South Africa and to create a business that is unique in its offerings.

“We are not at the finishing line yet. Our journey will last another ten years before we are at a stage where we feel we have covered everything we set out to.”

The company is only too aware that consumers change, technologies change and markets change. Mr Koegelenberg makes it clear that as we move into the future and the company grows, the culture of excellence will grow, guarding La Motte’s position as one of the finest wineries and international export businesses in the country. .

“I think the service we give to a wine tourist (in South Africa), from an experience perspective, is superior to any other country in the world”

COMPANY REPORT

PAGE 4 MAR 13

LA MOTTE

Our target market: Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)

Cross Border throughout Africa

Express overnight deliveries

Part loads (from 1 to 34 tons)

Loose Mass

CONTACTS DETAILS

Arts Park, Pastoral Road, Durbanville Industrial Park, Durbanville 7550

Telephone 086 101 ARTS (2787)Fax

021 976 2558

sales@artsonline.co.za

We deliver what you want, at the right time,at the right place

and at the right price.

Our Mission is through our expertise, innovative technology

and absolute commitment to service we ensure that all our

customers’ needs are met. We believe in collaborating with our

clients, with the main aim to save on the cost of transport, but

still provide them with a very convenient transport experience.

We have more than adequate on site secure warehouse

space available, together with smaller delivery vehicles,

creating a perfect environment for the distribution of the

client’s products. These facilities are available in Cape Town

as well as Johannesburg.

ARTS is a privately owned Transport Consulting business with the

head office situated in Durbanville. Shareholders and management

are active in the day to day running and managing of the business,

and are centralized in our Durbanville office, ensuring the fast and

efficient solution to any challenge.

ARTS is proud to be associated with La Motte for 13 years.

Got a smartphone? Scan our QRcode to find out more...

We are extremely focused on building a sustainable •competitive advantage.

We have access to the vehicle that will best address the needs •of a specific client/load.

Every client has an account manager assigned to them, so all •correspondence will be via one channel.

Our infrastructure is structured in such a way that we address •every need from the production of the product, right through to the consumer acquiring the product.

We have a fast turnaround from pick up to invoicing – ensuring a •steady cash flow for the client.

Our product-specific approach will ensure that cost will be kept •to the minimum on transport.

Through the 70 years combined management experience, you can •be sure of the best tailor-made package to save you maximum cost.

We have a branch in Elandsfontein which is responsible for all cross border transport, and is well equipped to handle all border documentation and needs. We pride ourselves in the fact that management has a combined period of 70 years’ experience. This ensures that all the available experience and skills get passed on to a client, to ensure the best price for every client’s customized needs. We cover all routes within the African continent, from pallets and loose mass, to machines and more.

(0)1603 618 000

info@industrysa.com

East Coast Promotions Ltd, Ferndale Business Centre, 1 Exeter Street.Norwich, NorfolkNR2 4QB

www.la-motte.com