South African Wine: KWV Partner Kallie on Global Market Strategy

Welcome to "The Business Talk", a podcastby the South African Thai Chamber of Commerce. In this insightful episode, hostKyle Daniels, a director at the Chamber, converses with Kallie, theChairperson of the South African Thai Chamber of Commerce.Kallie recounts his remarkable life story, from hisupbringing on a farm in Pretoria and Thabazimbi, South Africa, where hedeveloped a keen eye for hunting and became a sharpshooter in the army.He shares details of his conscripted military service, where he rose to becomean officer instructor and law officer, famously receiving his officercertificate signed by Nelson Mandela in 1994....The discussion shifts to Kallie’s direct and highlysuccessful transition into entrepreneurship after his military discharge. Hedetails his initial venture in labour broking in Richard's Bay, followed by amove into the wine business in Cape Town, and an 18-year period building alucrative transport business in Mozambique. Kallie then discusses hiscurrent role, having been approached by KWV in 2018 to be their businesspartner in Indochina. He explains how his operations, based in Bangkok, areresponsible for a significant percentage of South African wine exports toMalaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore. Beyond wine, Kallie isalso involved in rolling out the Russian Mir card and QR code payment systemsfor IPS Bank in Phuket, alongside commodity trading.Listeners will gain valuable insights into competing in theglobal market, with Kallie emphasising the critical role of"relations" and "networking". He illustrates this witha powerful anecdote about former Ambassador Jeff Deutsch's selfless efforts inhelping KWV secure a listing with Tops supermarkets. Kallie also addresses thechallenges faced by South African wine in Thailand, particularly in combatingthe mislabelling of Chilean and Australian wines as South African, and his aimto shift the market's focus towards quality South African white wines like theKWV Chenin Blanc, which has achieved the number one spot in China.Finally, Kallie shares his ambitious goal for the SouthAfrican Thai Chamber of Commerce: to transform it into a self-sufficient"business entity" capable of generating its own income beyondmembership fees and events. This episode offers a rich tapestry of experiences,business acumen, and a deep understanding of international trade, making it"an episode not to be missed". Join South African-Thai Chamber of Commercewww.satcc.infoFind out more and connect with Kallie by clicking here