Add some good wine to your hotel group, mix in some creative marketing, a good portion of a good cause, and bam, you have got a business plan worth replicating throughout the lodging industry. Allow me to explain.
Minor Hotels just announced a new partnership with Saving the Wild, a groundbreaking Africa-based conservation charity, with the launch of three “Saving the Wild” wines which will be served in several Minor Hotels properties in Africa. The wines are produced by Hoopenburg Wine Estate, an award-winning wine farm, and feature fine art labels highlighting the need to protect three key species targeted for illegal poaching.
The conservation collection includes a Cabernet/Merlot blend, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Rosé. Hoopenburg Wine Estate in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa is nourished by pure underground water, and the unique dry-land bush-vine vineyards produce grapes of exceptional taste and flavor.
In Support of Better Legislation
A percentage of the proceeds from the Saving the Wild wine collection supports Saving the Wild’s work to advocate for specialized courts and better legislation for all endangered species.
Each bottle is a canvas featuring fine art photography donated by award-winning wildlife photographers. The fine-art photography is creatively enhanced with gold foil embossing the rhino horn, elephant tusks, and pangolin scales—drawing attention to the features for which these animals are illegally poached. Saving the Wild works across Africa to protect these, and other, endangered species.
With every glass, guests can learn, discover, and engage with the conservation stories behind the wines, as each bottle has a QR code that launches short film content produced by Saving the Wild:
- Saving the Wild’s recently released short film Rhino: The Endgame, featuring Dr Jane Goodall, released shortly after her passing. Watch here.
- Kimana Tuskers, produced in collaboration with an Academy Award-winning team and narrated by actor Djimon Hounsou. Watch here.
A Feature Film on the Way
The organization’s impact has been so remarkable that its story is now the inspiration for a feature film currently being developed by Margot Robbie and her production company LuckyChap Entertainment. With the script now written, production is expected to begin in South Africa once casting is finalized.
According to Minor Hotels, meaningful legislative reform is critical to ending wildlife crime. The greatest challenge facing South Africa’s rhino crisis is the lack of legislation that deters poachers and specialized courts. Most offenders receive nothing more than minor fines or weak prison sentences, which means there is little incentive for them to stop. That’s why Saving the Wild is now focused on advocating stronger legislation for all endangered species—and this wine collection helps it raise funds for this critical mission.
“As Minor Hotels expands into more of Africa’s protected wilderness areas, we believe the protection of these ecosystems is our shared responsibility,” says Nico Vivier, Regional Director of Operations & Development for Minor Hotels Africa. “Sustainability is at the heart of the Minor Hotels brand, making this conservation partnership a natural fit. Because exceptional food and beverage is central to great hospitality, we jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with Hoopenburg and Saving the Wild on an exclusive range of three wines, available across all Minor Hotels in Africa, which directly helps raise funding for vital wildlife conservation legislation.”
Saving the Wild works across southern and east Africa, and is internationally recognized for its work dismantling high-level rhino poaching syndicates in South Africa. Follow Saving the Wild on Instagram and Facebook.
The wines are available in Minor Hotels’ properties across Africa — including NH Johannesburg Sandton, Avani Victoria Falls Resort and The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara. For enquiries, contact Lisa Carey at lcarey@minor.com.
Has your company done something similar with wine or another product? I would love to learn about your experiences. I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
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