MARKETING FEATURE

CREATE PARTY EXPERIENCES THAT SELL

Lehlohonolo Tsotetsi, manager at Vaal Monate Cafe

In the past, having a shebeen, meant simply stocking your fridges and waiting for patrons to visit. Nowadays you have to up your game. This includes renovating your establishment, focussing on rigorous marketing and advertising, playing good music through a quality sound system, investing in a flatscreen TV, and above all, good customer service. Spotong recently embarked on a quest to uncover what kinds of party experiences are being provided in the market these days. Our first visit led us to Sebokeng, Evaton North, to the family-owned Vaal Monate Cafe where the always cheerful co-owner and manager Lehlohonolo ‘Jomo’ Tsotetsi told us about their annual year-end allwhite party - their biggest event of the year. They also host a bowtie party for his younger brother’s and co-owner’s birthday, a Thursday Divine Night themed for their resident DJ Divine, and the Mondays Free Mogodu Special. The year-end party is in its third year and commands an entrance fee of R250. Food is served in-house by a professional chef and on this day top DJs and celebs are given Most Valuable Guests comps and treated to free drinks. Jomo says, “In five years’ time the event will be pre-booked around March since it gets bigger and better every year”. It increases the number of customers and profit margins grow dramatically as a result.” The pub boasts ample parking space, a car wash and two bar areas, of which one is a dedicated VIP area with a bouncer. Recently they have started collecting soccer stars’ shirts which are framed and displayed at the bar area. The venue employs 43 dedicated staff members. “My personal experience is to always be involved in all aspects of the business. Live it with passion, compromise, and sacrifice. Invite people everywhere and entertain them,” he says. Our second stop was in Soweto, Diepkloof, Zone 6 Venue, which is located within the massive Bara taxi rank mall. There we met the soft-spoken Prince Mazibuko, the manager, who showed us around the indoor events venue. It opened its doors in December 2012. The main entrance is strictly for pre-sold and cash paying patrons only and a strict entrance screening awaits you. The inside is divided into two floors; the ground floor consists of six bars, with a bar strictly used for service purposes only. This floor also features ten booths to house the media and sponsors, and has a total capacity of 1500 people. The upper floor caters for an average of 300 people, and hosts radio stations, DJs and celebs. “It is mainly used to push product stocks for sponsors. Social media and signage are used as marketing tools,” he says. Among the events hosted here are the Absolut Vodka Summer Sundaze and

the Soweto Experience pool and tattoo experience, which both took place in October. “These events are amazing in terms of profit and have seen many patrons return to the venue.” Our next stop, took us to Soweto’s Orlando East, a place well-known for the landmark twin towers. Nestled between the towers is a venue called Chaf-Pozi and here we spoke to the manager, Lucky Zhole. The venue is mainly used by organisers and sponsors to market their brands. It draws famous DJs and celebs alike. In September it hosted the All Black Party and during November and December months it focusses on Christmas parties. Entrance to this venue is usually free, except on gig days when you can expect to pay R50 to R80. “The bungee-jumping sport is also a draw card for the patrons as well,” he explains. According to Lucky, on average 60 to 70 people visit the spot per day to wine and dine while tourists also flock the area. Our tour then saw us venture into Rockville’s The Rock! The owner, Tshepo Pele, said he works closely with fashion design people in Soweto to hosts their shows. “We also host celebs birthday parties and Alaska, the music group, hosted their 17th birthday together in August and Mahota also hosted his birthday party here in July. We feature local DJs who play deep house tunes. On some occasions famous ones DJs feature too,” he says.

At the Village Cafe at White House in Vosloorus, the ever-humble event manager Vincent Mahlangu said the venue approaches sponsors for their events. The Absolute Vodka event held in September, their annual Hunter’s, Heritage Day, the Women’s Day event (mainly featuring female DJs), their Jameson parties held in April and November, their whisky and cognac tasting weekends and East Leisure, the weekday Thursday networking session for business owners.

According to Vincent, “We sit regularly in planning sessions to evaluate the brands we sell and advertise weekly for customer retention. Apart from the events mentioned we also host birthday parties and year-end parties. The brand events take only two hours. Our menus are arranged on an upfront basis.”

The venue incorporates two floors. The ground floor boasts a restaurant and the upper floor has two lounges: the Glenmorangie and the Hennessy sitting areas. These days selling liquor is a very serious business and traders have to adhere to the liquor trade laws. Creating the right party experience for your patrons is the key to doing well in your business.

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There is a certain magic about the valleys of vineyards suspended between the mountains of the Cape. Where sunlight kisses the vines, the sky pours vast rains onto the soil and sea breeze seals its salt into the soil, birthing the finest Colombard and Chenin Blanc grapes. The grapes are always sweeter in this spot of southern atmospheric serendipity. It is the ideal place to make brandy because great brandy starts with the perfect grape, according to Van Ryn’s master brandy distiller Marlene Bester. “A finely-crafted potstill brandy takes time to produce and there are numerous steps to follow from the vine until the final product is bottled,” said Bester. “Brandy is made from a process of distillation, basically a process of heating which reduces the amount of water in a fermented liquid, thereby concentrating the alcohol.

It all starts with the humble grape, which, after being picked, is crushed and destalked. The free-run juice is collected without the grapes being pressed. This is cooled and allowed to settle. Very little sulphur dioxide is added – a preservative commonly used in winemaking – and the addition of yeast helps fermentation into wine occur.

Stages of brandy making

“Potstill distillation is made up of two stages. The first stage lasts between six and eight hours and involves the distillation of the wine to low wine through the removal of suspended solids and a large portion of the water present in the wine.” In the second stage of distillation the low wine is further distilled and three fractions are drawn – known as the heads, the heart and the tails. “The heads and tails are discarded while the heart is kept and becomes the soul of brandy, with its fruity and herbaceous flavours.”

Laying down the law

for a minimum of three years. During this time, the clear spirit develops its characteristic golden amber colour and a number of flavour components are extracted from the wood giving spicy, sweet characters. “These can be picked up in the form of vanilla, toast, cloves, cedar wood, cigar box and nutty aromas,” said Bester. After three years the brandy master evaluates whether the brandy is suitable for further maturation.

“It is nuances such as the fullness, balance, softness and flavour that a brandy master uses to determine what type of brandy this matured distillate will be used for. The blending panel define the style and taste each component to create the final product.” Finally, demineralised water is added to dilute the alcohol strength to the bottle strength of 38% alcohol by volume.

Three styles of South African brandy

distilled in a copper potstill and aged for a minimum of three years. “Potstill brandy is the fullest, richest of all three brandy styles.” Examples of this include Oude Meester Souverein or Demant, and Klipdrift Gold.

Blended brandy combines 30% potstill and 70% unmatured wine spirit. “These are vibrant and flavourful, well suited for mixed tall drinks.” Examples are Richelieu International and Klipdrift Premium. Vintage brandy fits between blended and the pot still styles, delivering a drier, more wood-driven brandy with a more palate cleansing finish. It must contain at least 30% potstill brandy that has been matured for at least eight years and can contain up to 70% wine spirit that has been matured for the same length of time as the potstill component. “Examples of vintage brandy include Van Ryn’s 10 year old and Richelieu 10 year old.” “There are more than 200 ways to enjoy brandy – it’s just a case of deciding which your favourite is,” said Bester.