Born to Craft Great Wine, Inspire Adventure & Better the World
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Our Mission Statement
We believe that people should be in touch with what they consume - to understand how a product impacts the world, from farm to table. We built Lubanzi to share the magnetism of South Africa - in its tapestry, its culture, its people - & to make a difference in the lives of those who live and work on the country’s wine farms. We also did it to stand for global citizenship and the value of adventure & the impact we believe both can have on creating a happier, more tolerant, more connected world.
We believe in the power of business to change the world — to change the way people think, to better our earth, to shift supply chains toward better balance, especially for those at the beginning of them, and to share stories that can remind us, that as a collective, we can be an incredible engine for equity, for inclusivity, and for justice.
Our Efforts
Fair Trade
People are every bit as important as the product. In that spirit, we’re proud to be Fair For Life Fair Trade Certified©, ensuring that human rights are safeguarded at every stage of production, workers enjoy good and fair working conditions and smallholder farmers receive a fair share. Fair trade improves the livelihood of thousands of smallholder farmers and workers by providing the means for social community projects and empowerment of people.
Our role in the supply chain, as a brand holder, involves purchasing fair for life fair trade certified products from producer operations and supporting their workers by paying a premium for the goods produced. That premium is distributed equally among the producer operation’s employees.
More information on the farms and how the premium is used by the communities can be found on the Fair For Life website at the profile page for farm 1 & profile page for farm 2.
Carbon Neutral
Greenhouse gas emissions are raising our planet’s temperature and altering its very fabric in a way that endangers people’s live’s today and humanity’s future tomorrow. It has become everyone’s job to do what she/they/he can to stop contributing to this. Climate neutral is an independent organization that helps us to measure, offset and reduce 100% of our carbon footprint and ensure that making great wine doesn’t come at the cost of furthering endangering our planet. Learn more about climate neutral here.
1% for the Planet
Protecting the natural environment is everyone’s responsibility. Created by the founder of Patagonia, 1% for the planet is an alliance of businesses that understand that truth. Business does damage to the natural world, it’s a fact of life. What we believe is that it is important for businesses, like us, to recognize this impact and do what we can to minimize and restore that damage. As a member of 1% for the Planet, we contribute at least one percent of our annual sales to environmental causes, supporting efforts to bring balance back to business. Learn more here.
Certified B Corp©
We’re proud to be a Certified B Corp©. Championed by the likes Warby Parker, New Belgium Brewing & Patagonia B-corps encompass over 2,600 companies, 150 countries & 60 industries. Certified B-Corporations©, like Lubanzi, are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
50% of Profits Back to the Hands that Made it
Most importantly, we’re happy to call ourselves a social enterprise. We've pledged 50% of our net profits to back the Pebbles Project, a Non-Profit that works with the low-income families who live and work on South Africa's wine farms. They focus on growing families by providing resources and improving access to high-quality health care & educational services.
Our Impact with The Pebbles Project©
Our Team
LUBANZI, ceo
About Lubanzi
The inspiration behind what we do each and every day. Lubanzi is the wandering dog, who in the middle of nowhere, and by some stroke of divine luck, brought this all to life.
CHARLES BRAIN, co-founder
About Charlie
The son and grandson of two entrepreneurs and the great grandson of a professional baseball player - Charlie was born with a passion for taking risks and doing things differently at every turn, even if that means it might not always turn out so well. Fortunately, he's also got a knack for drinking wine and having a good time, so this whole experiment pretty much can't go wrong.
WALKER BROWN, co-founder
About Walker
Born and raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia by two novelists and professors, Walker has a keen eye for storytelling and strangers looking for a conversation. In addition to the wine gig, Walker is a song writer and musician who plays the banjo and the acoustic guitar. He graduated from the University of Richmond with a broad focus on Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
TRIZANNE BARNARD, winemaker
About Trizanne
*Current reigning champion of South Africa's Vintner Surf Classic*
Hailing from the small surf village of Kommetjie ('cawma-key') on the cape's southern peninsula, just a short drive from Cape Town, Trizanne is an excellent mother, winemaker and surfer. A graduate of South Africa’s Stellenbosch University, Trizanne worked vintages in Australia, France & Portugal before bringing her talents back home to South Africa. The winemaking expert behind Lubanzi, Trizanne lends a key palate in making the magic happen at Lubanzi.
JOSH STANLEY , ZA sales & marketing
josh@lubanziwines.com
About Josh
Often found in the cold stormy seas around the southern peninsula of Cape Town or simply lost in the mountains above, Joshua survives on the fine wines of South Africa (a healthy obsession instilled in him by his sister, Natalie). As a ‘lightie’, he was raised on fresh pasta and raw art, which lead him to a degree in sculpture, a love for all things delicious and an insatiable drive to pursue things of quality and meaning.
LARA FARBINGER , US sales & marketing
lara@lubanziwines.com
About Lara
a new yorker that came to south africa looking for adventure and a harvest. after falling in love with the people and places of za she never looked back. five years later- you’ll find her kicking around a soccer ball, scrambling rocks, hosting a dinner, or jumping into the icy waters of cape town. born into a family of chefs, bakers, and artists her keen eye for all things delicious and of quality runs deep. here starts her desire to share the magic of south africa with the rest of the world.
ALINDA PRETORIUS, logistics/admin
About Alinda
born in the middle of south africa (bloemfontein,freestate) to a jet pilot father (the brigadier), and an entrepreneurial mother, attending 7 schools all over south africa. the journey of moving started young, and today she moves the best wines over south africa and globally. her house is filled with plants and the chatter of three daughters. always moving, never quiet- like a good wine.
OUR GROWERS
About Our Growers
The various farms behind Lubanzi’s magic collectively employ over 100+ full time workers who spend their lives working hard each and every day to tend to the earth that breathes life into our wine. These men & women are at the very core of how each sip tastes, which is why we're so passionate about furthering the future of their families by redirecting more of the economic supply chain to our workers & promising 50% of our profits back to them & those like them.
THE PEBBLES PROJECT, chief giver
About Pebbles
the secret sauce behind lubanzi. the pebbles project operates the programs that lubanzi’s donations support. they focus on enriching the lives of disadvantaged children and families in the winelands’ farming communities. their focus is on bettering the entire life of each child they work with- improving the challenging circumstances in which they live in order to make a significant and lasting difference. since their inception in 2004, they have impacted the lives of countless children & families by providing support and intervention in five key areas: education, health, nutrition, community and protection.
AMELIA SCHIETEKAT, logistics/admin
About Amelia
Amelia is a born and bred capetonian that grew up with a deep love for the sea and fishing. her roots run deep in the wine industry- her family previously owned boekenhoutskloof in franschhoek. she was a student at elsenburg where she studied viticulture & oenology. after graduating she worked at many prestigious wine farms finally finding her love for production & exports.
