MUTUPO WINE COLLECTION & SKYBORNE TRAVEL AGENCY

SPONSORS THE INAUGURAL ZWING AWARDS

Text by Martin Chemhere Images by Fotohaus

Mutupo Wine Collection, part of the Skyborne Travel Agency, were the main sponsor of the country’s maiden wedding industry awards ceremony, known as the ZWING (Zimbabwe Wedding Industry Networking Gala) Awards. The awards were held on 22 January at the Golden Cornifer Function Venue, Strathaven, Harare with guests from the corporate world including the wedding, hospitality and events sectors gathered.

Zimbabwean based in Belgium and Mutupo Wine Collection and Skyborne Travel Agency CEO, was delighted with the event, for allowing his businesses to give back to the community while marketing to both new and old target audiences.

Speaking about the brand name of the wine range, Chabvamuperu Van Den Bogaert said, “Mutupo” is a word in a Bantu language (Shona) meaning ‘totem”. Put together, this is a brand which recognises our cultural heritage and that we are proud of it, pushing it into luxury lifestyle status. We are happy to be the inaugural sponsors for this debut prestigious event.’’

He said that Skyborne Travel Agency is a company which provides services to tour the beautiful African continent, and has created the wine brand for high-end clients who also enjoy the good life, sipping on good wine, proud to be African. ‘’We value where we come from and the awards

The awards were founded by Yvone Kabasa, who wanted “to recognize and reward excellence in the wedding industry”. As the sponsor, Mutupo Wine Collection and Skyborne Travel Agency had a strong presence, promoting their corporate image to the guests. Supporting partners of the event were Refined Magazine Zimbabwe, Kenchris Weddings, Mrs Michaels Cake Supplies, Elysian Events, Inspired Candles ZW, and Profound Photography Weddings. Also present were MC Mai Juju, George the MC, Samantha Rusare, Posh Events ZW, Touch of Class Event Design, Your Girl In Zim, FWA Photography, and 3Ktv.

Farayi Chabvamuperu Van Den Bogaert, a highlight the kind of lifestyle that we appreciate will impact positively our brand. We align with events that have an impact and resonate with our wine and travel agency businesses,’’ said Chabvamuperu Van Den Bogaert.

Mutupo Wine Collection showcased its range of wines including brands like Natural White Wine, Pinotage, Merlot, Red Blend and Shiraz. All these wines and more come in different Zimbabwean totems like Masibanda Edition, Shumba Edition, Soko Mukanya Edition, Ngara Edition and others. The wine-making company has been trading for almost a year after having launched in February of 2022. However, Skybourne Travel Agency has been established for the past three years.

Aside from Zimbabwe, the range of wines is marketed in South Africa and Botswana. Apart from the regional market, the wine range has also reached America, Belgium, Turkey and Germany and more markets are expected in the future. In these markets, the response to the brands has been encouraging based on the pride of partly, some Zimbabweans who want to associate with a beverage that promotes their identity and culture. The wines are also proving to be popular with other nationalities who don’t have an identity connection with the southern African nation, which is something that keeps encouraging the founders to take the wines to as many markets as possible.

The future looks bright for the wine range as more markets are being explored and opened outside Africa. Research is ongoing and they are also studying the different markets to see how best to expand and fully exploit the wine brand. They plan to grow the wine brand by supporting rural tourism in Zimbabwe and other parts of the continent like South Africa and Botswana where they already have a footprint. They keep connecting with restaurants and hotels for long-term working relationships.

The CEO pointed out that the success of the wine brand so far is attributed to the ongoing support of Zimbabweans and others who have found it to be tasty and unique in its branding. Notable support has come from influencers from Zimbabwe who have been engaged to push the brands through their social media following and other networks.

It has been quite uplifting for the founders of the wine brand to see other people like tourists from other countries who come to Zimbabwe keenly identifies with the wine range due to how it has been branded with our African cultural elements like clan names or totems. Based on this interest, there is room to engage more markets by blending culinary leisure and Zimbabwe’s cultural identity.

‘’It’s a journey that will take a while to fully get established but one that is worthwhile to walk”, says Chabvamuperu Van Den Bogaert. Mutupo Wine Collection and Skyborne Travel Agency is a powerful combination that stands to benefit from the partnership with the ZWING Awards. The two businesses are determined to keep playing an influential role in the African travel and tourism industry.