Company Reports - Fairview Wine & Cheese
Statistics
Company Industry Founded Headquarters Key People Products Revenue Employees
Website
Follow us on
http://www.fairview.co.za
Platinum and Gold Partners
Silver and Bronze Partners
Fairview Wine & Cheese
Quality Products from an Idyllic Location
Written by Chris Farnell & Produced by John Holliman
If you’re reading this in your office at work, you might find it very easy to envy Fairview owner Charles Back. Situated on the south-west-facing slopes of Paarl Mountain, a granite rock outcrop in the heart of the Paarl wine district of South Africa, Fairview Farm is a place that truly lives up to its name. You’d be hard pressed to find a more pleasant place to run a business from.
Fairview Wine and Cheese is well aware of this fact, and intends to make the most of it. “We never underestimate the importance of our farm as a destination and marketing tool,” says Chris Davis, Fairview’s Marketing Director. “We encourage people to come to our farm, which is one of the top five wine destinations in the Cape. When people come here they have a great experience, and whatever corner of the globe they return to they’ll spread the word of our products. Our job is to make sure the products are available in that corner of the world when they get back there.”
An idyllic setting, a proud history
Fairview Wine and Cheese has a long and illustrious history. It’s a family business, owned by Charles Back. “The farm on which we’re based was purchased in 1937 by Charles’s late grandfather, also named Charles,” Davis explains. “The current owner’s late father, Cyril Back ran the farm until 1995 and since then Charles has been at the helm.”
What started off as a simple winery operation, soon became much more. “We’ve been established on the wine side for many years and then started on the goat farming around 20 years ago, more as a hobby than anything else,” Davis says. “Then we used that milk to make cheese, which we used to bring out and serve when people started visiting the farm for wine tastings. It became quite popular so we developed our Vineyard Cheesery and grew our range of cheeses.”
Since then Fairview’s cheese production has become a sizeable business, now using Jersey cows’ milk as well as goats’ milk.
“The goats are based on the farm and we’ve got about 800 goats. The Jersey milk is bought in from a select group of farmers,” Davis says. “Added to that we have tastings at the cellar door. This is a popular destination, because we offer cheese and wine tasting as well as our restaurant, The Goatshed.”
The Goatshed offers wholesome meals, ranging from a classic cheeseboard with bread baked freshly on the premises, to delicious farm style fare at prices that are real value for money. Despite its idyllic, country backdrop, the farm is conveniently placed for city residents, being only 40 minutes from Cape Town.
A finely tuned balancing act
So far, Davis has talked me through the wine, cheese and restaurant sides of the business, and while these are all connected, it seems like an extremely diverse range of products. How does Fairview manage to balance all the different sides of its business? “We run the wine and cheese businesses as separate business units,” Davis says.
“The goats’ milk side of the business is a separate division that sells milk onto the cheese side of the business. It’s accountable for its own expenses and revenue.
Likewise The Goatshed restaurant has Andy Kung, a shareholder who knows about running a hospitality experience. He’s a chef with a lot of experience in that area. That’s another separate unit. They are all accountable for their own divisions. We put people in charge of those divisions who we feel are competent and they report to Charles or myself.”
Indeed, Charles Back’s fingerprints are a unifying factor throughout the Fairview business. “The owner is very hands on with the business. Whether it’s out in the vineyards or in the cheese factory, cellar, restaurant or the marketing of the brand he’s involved in all the different aspects of the business,” Davis says. “An advantage of Fairview being a family business is that we’re able to make decisions very quickly.”
The best of old and new
While Fairview is able to make the most of its long and proud history, the company is still keen to keep moving forward, and make the most of the latest technology.
“We do a bit of both, using old and modern methods,” Davis explains. “In the cheese division for example, some cheeses are very artisanal and hand crafted while for other, more mainstream cheeses we use the best technology to get the best yield and economies of scale through the factory.”
The same is true of the wine sector of the business. “We have volume wines where we use technology to take advantage of economies of scale as much as possible, but on the other hand there are wines that are handcrafted and go into expensive barrels, using handpicked ingredients, and very labour intensive production. We have a reputation for innovation, so we do lots of quirky things that create more niche products, as well as our mainstream stuff.”
The technology isn’t just about the economies of scale however. “The latest cheese technology is going to give you consistency of product and much better yields, which are important criteria in the marketplaces we operate in. It’s not just about saving money. It’s about getting the consistency as well.”
Fairview is also using the latest technologies to ensure close interactions with its customer base. “We’ve done a lot of investment in our website, PR, interfacing with our customers through Facebook, and Twitter and blogs and things like that,” Davis points out. “It’s a good way of letting them know about the innovations going on in our various departments, and we’ve got an online shop as well.”
It’s true that Fairview is doing some exciting things with its online marketing and customer interaction. However, it has to be said that checking their Facebook page is no substitute for visiting the farm in person. We thoroughly recommend that you try it.
Fairview Wine and Cheese is well aware of this fact, and intends to make the most of it. “We never underestimate the importance of our farm as a destination and marketing tool,” says Chris Davis, Fairview’s Marketing Director. “We encourage people to come to our farm, which is one of the top five wine destinations in the Cape. When people come here they have a great experience, and whatever corner of the globe they return to they’ll spread the word of our products. Our job is to make sure the products are available in that corner of the world when they get back there.”
An idyllic setting, a proud history
Fairview Wine and Cheese has a long and illustrious history. It’s a family business, owned by Charles Back. “The farm on which we’re based was purchased in 1937 by Charles’s late grandfather, also named Charles,” Davis explains. “The current owner’s late father, Cyril Back ran the farm until 1995 and since then Charles has been at the helm.”
What started off as a simple winery operation, soon became much more. “We’ve been established on the wine side for many years and then started on the goat farming around 20 years ago, more as a hobby than anything else,” Davis says. “Then we used that milk to make cheese, which we used to bring out and serve when people started visiting the farm for wine tastings. It became quite popular so we developed our Vineyard Cheesery and grew our range of cheeses.”
Since then Fairview’s cheese production has become a sizeable business, now using Jersey cows’ milk as well as goats’ milk.
“The goats are based on the farm and we’ve got about 800 goats. The Jersey milk is bought in from a select group of farmers,” Davis says. “Added to that we have tastings at the cellar door. This is a popular destination, because we offer cheese and wine tasting as well as our restaurant, The Goatshed.”
The Goatshed offers wholesome meals, ranging from a classic cheeseboard with bread baked freshly on the premises, to delicious farm style fare at prices that are real value for money. Despite its idyllic, country backdrop, the farm is conveniently placed for city residents, being only 40 minutes from Cape Town.
A finely tuned balancing act
So far, Davis has talked me through the wine, cheese and restaurant sides of the business, and while these are all connected, it seems like an extremely diverse range of products. How does Fairview manage to balance all the different sides of its business? “We run the wine and cheese businesses as separate business units,” Davis says.
“The goats’ milk side of the business is a separate division that sells milk onto the cheese side of the business. It’s accountable for its own expenses and revenue.
Likewise The Goatshed restaurant has Andy Kung, a shareholder who knows about running a hospitality experience. He’s a chef with a lot of experience in that area. That’s another separate unit. They are all accountable for their own divisions. We put people in charge of those divisions who we feel are competent and they report to Charles or myself.”
Indeed, Charles Back’s fingerprints are a unifying factor throughout the Fairview business. “The owner is very hands on with the business. Whether it’s out in the vineyards or in the cheese factory, cellar, restaurant or the marketing of the brand he’s involved in all the different aspects of the business,” Davis says. “An advantage of Fairview being a family business is that we’re able to make decisions very quickly.”
The best of old and new
While Fairview is able to make the most of its long and proud history, the company is still keen to keep moving forward, and make the most of the latest technology.
“We do a bit of both, using old and modern methods,” Davis explains. “In the cheese division for example, some cheeses are very artisanal and hand crafted while for other, more mainstream cheeses we use the best technology to get the best yield and economies of scale through the factory.”
The same is true of the wine sector of the business. “We have volume wines where we use technology to take advantage of economies of scale as much as possible, but on the other hand there are wines that are handcrafted and go into expensive barrels, using handpicked ingredients, and very labour intensive production. We have a reputation for innovation, so we do lots of quirky things that create more niche products, as well as our mainstream stuff.”
The technology isn’t just about the economies of scale however. “The latest cheese technology is going to give you consistency of product and much better yields, which are important criteria in the marketplaces we operate in. It’s not just about saving money. It’s about getting the consistency as well.”
Fairview is also using the latest technologies to ensure close interactions with its customer base. “We’ve done a lot of investment in our website, PR, interfacing with our customers through Facebook, and Twitter and blogs and things like that,” Davis points out. “It’s a good way of letting them know about the innovations going on in our various departments, and we’ve got an online shop as well.”
It’s true that Fairview is doing some exciting things with its online marketing and customer interaction. However, it has to be said that checking their Facebook page is no substitute for visiting the farm in person. We thoroughly recommend that you try it.
