Backsberg

I recently returned from a trip to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The last time I was there was ten years ago as part of a rather epic overland trip from Cape Town to Nairobi. Getting off the plane at 7pm in Dar, I was welcomed back by the searing heat and humidity that is East Africa.

Much has changed in Dar. For one, whilst the unique Tanzanian driving style is no different, there have been significant developments in the road infrastructure and tarmac is now the order of the day. Cellular phone companies have entered the country in a big way too, making communication far cheaper and more accessible, alleviating the need for clunky brick-like satellite phones.

We have been selling wine in Tanzania for about six years. The process has been a game of patience, building relationships and steadily ratcheting things up, which is now paying dividends. One might easily think that African wine markets – apart from South Africa – are really marginal, especially at the quality end of the scale. And indeed many of them are; but this is not so with Tanzania. The country has a high-end tourism industry with fairly large quantities of wine being sold through game lodge and hotel channels. There is a solid expat population as well as a growing local interest in wine, which bolsters the sometimes more cyclical tourist trade.

Doing business in Africa is not dissimilar to farming: there are a number of factors over which you simply don’t have control. Like the weather is to farming, so too are some of the challenges of logistics in Africa. For example, currently there is a major issue at the Dar port with the clearing of some containers taking up to three months! The other side of that coin however, is that if you can find a way to manage the logistical challenges, beat the competition and have a long-term view, the market is incredibly loyal compared to more traditional markets.

There has been a lot of talk of late in the media on South Africa’s position, or maybe lack thereof, in the US wine market. I, for one, am very excited about the prospect of the US.That being said, we as South African producers, shouldn’t turn a blind eye to so-called fringe opportunities as well. It doesn’t kill you to be issued the wrong boarding pass and almost miss your flight out of Dar es Salaam, it just makes you stronger.

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This post was written by:

Simon Back- who has written 56 posts on the Back Chat Blog. After finishing up studying economics at UCT in 2007, Simon has joined his family wine farm, Backsberg. When he is not trying to figure out what marketing wine means, he is authoring his blog, Back Chat.

Author's web site: Backsberg

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