My daughter’s aunts, they call my daughter ‘burger’; they say ‘Aah, there’s burger’s daddy, Tataburger’, because I love burgers so much.
– Lindile Ndzaba
When Lindile Ndzaba launched Khayelitsha’s Finest Wines (KFW) back in 2018, he was bottling limited releases, with the vision of building a brand. This month, KFW’s latest vintages launch in a newly designed label, are distributed all over town, and are about to ship to the US.
To mark the milestone, we chatted with Lindile at his current burger bar of choice, which happens to be in the city centre of Cape Town – not far from Bree Street, where the three of us first met.
From the outset, KFW aimed to put Khayelitsha on the global wine map, and that’s still the mission. But now he’s put a map of Khayelitsha on the front of the bottle to contextualise the brand for those who may not know the full story.
Lindile pointed to different parts of Khayelitsha on the label: ‘This is Town Two, Site B, Site C, and Makhaza, that’s a railway station, that’s Spine Road N2 going to Stellenbosch.’ Stellenbosch is where the latest KFW vintages come from, which in itself speaks of an ever-changing landscape: the vineyards are on a Swiss-family-owned farm in the heart of legacy wine country.
A map has particular relevance in the story of spaces seen and unseen. If around 4.7 million people live in greater Cape Town, ten percent of the population live in Khayelitsha, meaning New Home in Xhosa. Its geographical location on the sandy soil of the Cape Flats, 30km away from the city bowl, is the result of spatial segregation – historically distanced from the centre of business activity.
Lindile is a Capetonian whose entrepreneurial spirit and resilience never fail to inspire and we were keen to hear about his plans for KFW – as well as his thoughts on what he looks for in a burger. Here’s an edited transcript of our conversation.
Lindile Ndzaba, owner and founder, Khayelitsha’s Finest Wines
What does Khayelitsha mean to you?
It’s home, that’s what it means for me […] I’ve always been in Khayelitsha, I was born and bred there […] I know the struggles that are happening there, I’ve experienced them […] but I want people to know that there are good things happening […] I want to be part of that transition, helping it become a positive space, a welcoming space […].
What are the positives you see and want to work with?
The entrepreneurial spirit […] because I feel like the guys are also fighting the same fight as me […] There are kids growing up there and I want to be an example […] They really look at me as someone who’s a role model so that’s stuck with me […] It’s showing possibilities to create hope for the guys.
How did the new label come about?
The label is inspired by the new journey I’m going to be taking, which is exploring international markets […] I always wanted to have something that’s really significant, that’s going to represent where I’m from, because the brand is celebrating and uplifting the township […] There are some extensions, which you don’t see there but this is the original blueprint for Khayelitsha. [The label is designed by Nicole Walter of Jane Says and the copy written by Buntu Ngcuka of Letterhead.]
What are your hopes for the KFW brand?
My vision has always been the same, to get the brand out there and have more footprint […] I decided to explore scaling up the wines and working with a supplier [Saxenburg] that’s going to help me to have the creative freedom and the production freedom.
At the start it was 600 bottles, now it’s 4500 litres for each line – so about 6000 bottles each [red and white] and it's still scalable […] That’s one thing I learned in the industry, that in order to make the brand sustainable and profitable you need to focus on volumes […] so we’re expanding.
We are doing the first shipment to the US in December so that should land in February, but I’m working with a new agent, Southern Yard Importing […] we are looking at four states to start with: Maryland, Delaware, Washingon DC, and Virginia.
How do you feel about the city centre?
I feel like the city has got a good energy […] even though I don’t have a big footprint, there is good, genuine support […] My business survives because of the city, if I don’t have support from the city, I don’t have a business.
Why this burger bar and what makes a good burger for you?
My daughter’s aunts, they call my daughter ‘burger’; they say ‘Aah, there’s burger’s daddy, Tataburger’, because I love burgers so much.
I think a burger should be something that’s really simple, nothing too complicated […] – simplicity’s the key for me. I don’t want anything to be dominant, with every bite I want to taste little bit of everything […]
That’s why Zuney Wagyu is one of the guys that I Iike, the way they layer their components […] It also goes to the meat as well, I love good quality meat and I think theirs is perfect. I want simplicity with the patty too, just meat and fat – that’s it – so you will be able to taste the meat […]
Tell us about the wines?
The white is 2023, it’s quite light, easy going. It’s 75% Chenin Blanc, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 5 % Semillon. I worked closely with Brendan [Smith], the winemaker [at Saxenburg] […] to create a wine that’s vibrant and represents my personality.
I’ve always sourced my red wine with Saxenburg, this is my fourth vintage with them. We’ve done a Cab Franc and a Pinot Noir and another blend with Malbec, Pinotage and Syrah. And we’ve done this one with 60% Syrah and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Find KFW on Facebook or Instagram @khayelitshasfinestwines and KFW wines on wine lists around Cape Town. Lindile is working on a collaboration with Zuney Wagyu Burgers so look out for their Burger Tour early next year.