M'hudi Boutique Family Wines overcame all obstacles to advance their brand to the point where it was served at one of President Barack Obama's inauguration celebrations.
In the early 2000s, Malmsey Rangaka and her husband, Diale, took a leap of faith and moved from the North West, quitting their day jobs, and selling their properties to pursue wine farming in Stellenbosch. At the time, they had little to no experience in the field.
“It was in 2003 that I decided to make the biggest change in my life where I moved from a secure professional life to wine production, a space completely unknown to me and my family, full of risks, uncertainty, and vertical learning curves.
“And it was in that process amid many challenges and sometimes turbulence that I made a dream of my life come true. I am a clinical psychologist by profession. I worked at a university and in the private sector. I even had my own private practice at one point,” said Malmsey.
Malmsey said M’hudi is derived from the Tswana word meaning “harvester.” It is a novel written by Sol Plaatjie, titled M'hudi, and was the inspiration behind the brand name. The heroine named M'hudi is “an enduring symbol of the belief in a new day.”
She said it has been a challenge for them and they went through many obstacles along the way.
“It is challenging to buy and maintain a farm. One needs enough capital to get a loan to purchase land, just like any other property. Once acquired, there are labour costs and general maintenance and farm upkeep. One has to ensure whatever crop is produced on the property has a market to be sold to," said Malmsey.
As a black wine producer, Malmsey, who is also the CEO of M’hudl, said it was not easy in South Africa and globally as there was a lack of access to markets.
“Having to compete with many other wine brands, we have difficulty accessing the local market. At times, there is a perception that a black-owned brand is not quality and, therefore, should be priced lower. Our biggest challenge is the lack of resources to adequately market our brand,” she said.
Despite all these obstacles, their wines are sold in many retailers and exported to the Netherlands, the UK, Botswana and Namibia, and they hope that soon their wines will be listed in Uganda and Ghana.
M’hudi wines was also the winner of the 2010 Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the 10th Annual Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
"M'hudi wines were available at one of the inauguration parties when Barack Obama was elected President of the US," she said.
Rae-Leigh Adonis, who is the daughter-in-law of the Rangaka family and also works for the family business, said M'hudi symbolises strength, courage, the relentless pursuit of one’s dreams against impossible odds, and the celebration of a hard-earned triumph.
She said they continue to create opportunities to inspire others to create and acquire wine farms and brands.