Ethical Farming & Business

De Grendel is certified and/or a member of a number of ethical standards:

  • IPW

    The Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) seal is the South African wine industry’s certification of environmentally sustainable farming and traceability or integrity of origin, vintage and cultivar of a wine.

  • WIETA

    TheWine and Agricultural Ethical Trading Association (WIETA) is a multi-stakeholder, non-profit voluntary organisation which actively promotes ethical trade in the wine industry. WIETA members abide by a code of conduct on fair labour practices and healthy and safe working conditions.

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Education, Culture and Sport

The Graaff family’s commitment to the public good, and especially to education as a means of upliftment and empowerment, is reflected in a long history of philanthropy, with the first Sir David having set an early example of giving back through funding the De Villiers Graaff High School named after him in Villiersdorp.

Today, De Grendel Wines and Sir De Villiers Graaff assist 10 grade 8-12 learners at the school with their hostel and school fees. De Grendel also assists several learners and tertiary students with course fees and books, and sponsors early childhood development.

De Grendel also supports sustainable township and social enterprise development with Ikhaya le Langa in Cape Town’s Langa township, the Cape Town Opera House at Artscape, the Sandhill United Rugby Club and the historic arboretum and public gardens of Arderne Gardens in Cape Town.

Free Wi-Fi is installed in the farmworkers’ homes so that education is available at their fingertips.

Housing

Eight De Grendel farmworker families received full title and ownership of their own, new homes in the Pioneer Valley development in the northern suburbs of Cape Town in 2021, and a further two families will benefit during 2022. The families receive free transport to work and school.

Montrose Foundation

The Graaff family founded the Montrose Foundation in 2008 to address substance abuse and addiction in youth from disadvantaged communities. The Foundation also runs a caregiver programme to train and support caregivers who work directly with children, youth, and substance abusers in disadvantaged communities. 

The Foundation’s Equine Youth Development Programme runs at De Grendel using a unique equine-assisted learning method to empower children in overcoming their life challenges, supporting those who are struggling with addiction, social and communication problems, low self-esteem, and aggression.