By David & Nadia Sadie
Copy editing by Anna-Bet Stemmet
Thomas Jefferson famously said, “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” This made us think, and we realised just how important resilience is in the times that we live in today.
Tough times force us to stand firm like a rock, and to counterbalance this strong stance with the nimble power of adaptability. Rather than trying to control the uncontrollable, it encourages us to redirect our energy to that which can be adapted, adjusted, and improved, so we may emerge a better version of ourselves when all is said and done.
As a farming and winemaking business we were able to continue ‘as normal’ to a large extent over the past few months. Why? For one, apart from the fact that both the local and international wine sales were halted for a moment (and since this was written, for another moment), by law, we were still allowed to function as an essential agri-business.
But how do you continue as normal in the midst of a situation where the rest of the support system could/cannot continue ‘as normal’? This is where the resilience and adaptability of the people working in and alongside our business comes in. As a business we were able to keep our operations going with invaluable input and amazing commitment from employees and role players involved in our business, who were making sacrifices in terms of their households to be there for us. And for that, we will be forever grateful.
Grateful that our administration, finances and logistics function continued; grateful for winemaking and farming activities that could proceed with the support of our cellar and vineyard staff and grateful for suppliers of goods and services that were still available as we needed them.
Yes, there was a delay here and there, but we were fully aware that these small lags probably had a far lesser impact on our business than on the family behind the employee or supplier. In short, we want to salute the individuals who continued to form a part of our extended team for their ability to adapt to the unimaginable circumstances and persevering despite of all the challenges. Thank you for being part of our team!
Which brings us to the importance of teamwork. Because we operate under the label of ‘David & Nadia’ it can be easy for people to assume that there are only two people at work behind the scenes, but this could not be further from the truth.
In reality, there is an amazing team working alongside us – from André, Randall, Franklin, Nodean-Lee and Chrislene in the cellar, Roger on the tractor, Benjamin the all-rounder, and Eurika in the office, right through to Maxwill, Josef and Junade in the vineyards as well as all the casual employees assisting us in the cellar and on the farm during peak periods. And let’s not forget Danie and Rocco who join us for the hard harvest work each year. We thank each and every one of you for your input and dedication to make a success of our business!
To emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown completely unchanged as a business is impossible. Due to the challenges on hand with the second local alcohol sale ban, we are working on creative ways to release our new vintage during the middle of August. If you are not yet subscribed to our newsletter, please send your email address to info@davidnadia.com and we will add your details to ensure that you are kept in the loop.
People often ask us what about the meanings of the names of our two blends, and we believe that it’s pretty applicable at the moment. Aristargos, our white blend, means ‘the best leader’, and in our opinion this is someone who leads by serving and setting an example. Elpidios, our red blend, means ‘hope’ or to have a positive expectation for the future.
We strive to apply both these mottos throughout our business. It’s not always easy, but luckily we have ourselves and our team to remind one another of these aims. We have hope for our business, for our wine industry and for our beautiful country, and believe that better days lie just beyond the horizon. All we need to do is stand firm like a rock while remaining adaptable enough to weather the storm as a unit.