A 24-year-old Phatedi Teddy Lamola from Buhle Park shaked the wine industry when he launched his own wine ‘Teddy Ted Wine’ which was well received by his community. Phatedi is confident that he will make it big in the wine industry, his strong willpower is inspiring to his peers and they are looking up to him.
His love for wine started a long time ago when he was still a student at the University of Johannesburg, he was inspired by the Braamfontain lifestyle and people’s love for wine and cocktails.
“It all started back in 2017 while I was still at varsity. I was staying in one of the student accommodations in Braamfontain which was opposite the Republic of 94, where they used to host Sunday sessions and they would have cocktail parties, and that would be my view every Sunday,” Phatedi explained.
He was fascinated by the colorful mixture of cocktail blends which triggered him to open a mobile bar using money from his scholarship funds. “The bar operated from the 1st of September 2017 throughout the year. In January 2018, the business started to decline in bookings and I came to realize that the cocktail business is seasonal. It’s only at its peak from spring, so I decided to make changes within the beverage industry,” said Phatedi.
Instead of chasing the money Phatedi decided to step back and do his research which will benefit him in the long run within the wine industry. His curiosity about wine stories made his research more interesting and effortless to execute but most importantly it amplified his love and passion for wine.
“I was intrigued by a question, how can a grape tell a story about a particular place, how does a simple fruit support longevity of life? Little did I know that my curiosity will create a passion for wine, and I started to read more books and articles about wine and sign up with the wine clubs (Joburg Wine Club),” Phatedi recalled.
However, like-minded wine lovers we expect to be hosted across Ekurhuleni as Teddy Ted Wine is looking for brand expansion through wine events which will take place every first Sunday of every month. “Wine lovers will meet at a social place, with good soulful music, with Teddy Ted Wine and various winemakers that are already in the industry and we will have wine conversations and exchange books,” Phatedi envisioned.
“I am looking at growing my collection to have Sauvignon Blanc and Pinotage on my second collection by end of January 2021,” Phatedi added.
His community is moved by his persistent move into the industry despite its domination by white and rich people. But Phatedi is in it to win; he is using a counter strategy that rich people used to turn small township businesses into supermarkets and hypermarkets.
“Naked reality is that, if they were able to turn our stokvels into commercial banks and our tuckshops into supermarkets, and our kota stands into kota franchises, then why can’t we take their elegant and sophisticated drink and bring it to ekasi? It always seems impossible until you set your mind, energy, and emotions to it,” said Phatedi.
Nonetheless, the road was not always smooth for Phatedi because trying to introduce a Western drink to his community as a lifestyle and not only as a beverage for alcohol content consumption was rather difficult. And he is still trying to educate people that there are other wines apart from popular dry red wine and sweet wine.
Through his journey, Phatedi has been looking up to Siwela Masoga from a small village in Limpopo and Ntsiki Biyela, the first black female winemaker in South Africa.
“In anything we want to do, let’s not have hope but rather have faith. Faith is when you know the unknown, see the invisible and you believe in the impossible. Let’s give ourselves a chance to access that potential that will amaze the world,” Phatedi shared his words of wisdom.