PAGE STRAP Q&A
Q& &A
with Joep Schoof, general manager of Spier Hotel & Leisure
Joep Schoof, general manager, Spier Hotel and Leisure, was born in the Netherlands, starting in the hotel trade at a young age, prior to completing his degree at the International Hotel School in Leeuwarden.
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s part of this education, he completed his management traineeship at the (then) Dutch owned Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, South Africa. Joep’s career in the hospitality industry has seen him specialising in restaurant projects, F&B management, hospitality real estate and hotel management. These roles were completed at a variety of companies, such as the Arabella Sheraton Westin Grand, Pam Golding Hospitality and the Table Bay Hotel, which included pre-opening work for the Sun International group on the Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg. Joep lives in Cape Town with his wife, Samantha, and two daughters, Natasha and Isabella. How would you describe Spier? Spier is an iconic heritage wine farm in Stellenbosch, with a recorded history dating back to 1692. It produces
top-quality wine – available both locally and internationally. We offer a range of day visitor activities centred around our historical Werf (farmyard) and wide-open spaces, alongside the 153-bedroom, village style, hotel and conference centre. Spier is also the home to Farmer Angus, who is pioneering regenerative farming and supplies the farm with fresh produce directly from our land. Where did you begin your career? From a young age, I started working in this industry at a large family-run hotel, which resulted in me completing my formal education at a hotel school in my home country, the Netherlands. It was through this education that I got to experience South Africa for the first time when I completed my 12-month traineeship in Cape Town. After a stint at a financial institution back home, it was clear that I wanted to return to South
10 Business Events Africa February 2021
Africa and the hospitality industry, which I did in 2003. Before joining Spier, I worked in the hotel, restaurant and hospitality real estate sectors both in Cape Town and Johannesburg. www.businesseventsafrica.com
