COOPÉRATIVE DES VINS DU KALAHARI

The Kalahari Wine Cooperative is located in the town of Upington. The cooperative owns a vineyard covering over 15,000 hectares along the Orange River. Despite its location in the Kalahari desert, this vineyard benefits from an irrigation system using water from the river. Since the end of apartheid, this vineyard has been undergoing rapid economic development, notably thanks to the cultivation of table grapes for the European Christmas markets. However, this economic development is subject to fluctuations in air fares and in the local currency, the Rand. In addition, new competitors such as Brazil and India threaten the vineyard. Despite these challenges, Kalahari vineyard growers are rapidly adapting to changes in the world market.