African Tradition was founded by Clive Botha in 1992 after sanctions against South Africa were lifted. Our first base of operation was an old bar on Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Our first customer base was the South African Counsulate and ex-patriots living all over the country who missed and longed for South African Wines.

Slowly but surely we made headway among U.S. consumers as we found a niche market with Americans who had traveled to South Africa and had tasted and enjoyed the wines while there, and came home looking for them. From our humble beginings we have grown into a vibrant small company with more than 6,000 active customers whom enjoys our wines and have become loyal to our company.

We also have the ability that if a customer desires a specific wine and would like to get some delivered, we can import it for them whether its 1 case or 100 cases it makes no difference to us. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service and are very much quality oriented.

Most of the wine we import are from small boutique wineries that cannot be found on the shelves in your everyday wine shops. African Tradition is now based in West Palm Beach, Florida. We have recently launched a web site www.African-Tradition.com to expand our sales.

At the southern tip of Africa, where two mighty oceans meet is Cape Town - the gateway to the South African winelands and one of the great wine capitals of the world. Here the cultures of Africa, Europe and the East have met and mingled for over 350 years, shaping a city both ancient and modern, rich in colourful history and culturally diverse.

The Cape has witnessed many momentous events in South Africa's history from the landing of the Dutch settlers in 1652, to Nelson Mandela's historic walk to freedom in 1990. And it was here, four years later, that Archbishop Desmond Tutu described the new South African nation as "the rainbow people of God," and the "rainbow nation" was born.

Today South Africa is a peaceful democracy, a vibrant and exciting country of enormous diversity. This variety is reflected in the wines, which have been produced here for more than 300 years.

At the 13th annual Wine Industry Financial Symposium in September, 2004 it was reported that American consumers have become more accepting of imported wines.

People who cannot travel to faraway countries can get a vicarious thrill from drinking wines wines brought from exotic places. And it was predicted, "South Africa is definitely going to become more important in the U.S. [wine] picture."

In recent years, the local wine industry has emerged as a global enterprise with strong cultural roots and a sense of social responsibility. With the advent of democracy, the opening of new markets and exposure to international trends, South Africa can now compete with confidence on the world wine stage.

The South African wine industry's contribution to the national economy was been estimated by a 2004 study at nearly US$3 Billion. The number of South Africans employed by the industry is estimated at 257,000.

One of our specialities is that we can provide customized labels for customers whether for personal or corporate use. It can be done for as little as one case or even 1,000 cases, and our corporate customer base is increasing annually.

For private labels we purchase without labels Merlot and Chardonnay wine from the Niel Joubert Winery. Choose one or the other or we can deliver mixed cases. You may send us your own finished label design.

If you need help to design the label then send us a favorite photo or your business logo and we'll put together a design for you to your specifications. Custom labels have so many uses, including weddings, anniversaries, business promotion, and for use by private clubs.