Featuring soothing jazz music and virtual vineyard tours, La RicMal Wine Boutique at Cape Town International Airport offers an escape from the surrounding travel chaos. It’s also a significant milestone for the wine industry and black-owned businesses, highlighting efforts to diversify agriculture.
Five years ago, Malcolm Green and his son, Ricardo, recognised the need for innovation in their family-owned wine business and reviewed their business strategy. It marked the start of a new journey.
It all begins with Malcolm’s entrepreneurial spirit. He was 17 when he started his first business, a small recycling operation in Durban. As his business grew, he focused on glass bottles and turned the operation into a meticulous cleaning and quality sorting process. His clientele spanned from wineries and breweries to giants such as Coca-Cola and Appletiser SA.
After signing a new client in the Western Cape, a trip to Cape Town to expand nationally was inevitable. Little did he know it would spark an interest that would change his life. As he travelled from one winery to the next, marketing, sampling wines and building connections with winemakers, managers and CEOs, he began to grasp the extent of the wine industry. “It was during this time that I truly realised the scale of it all,” he says. He was so inspired he decided to create his own wine business. In 2007, he and Ricardo founded La RicMal Wines. La RicMal is a combination of the first syllables of their names, Ricardo and Malcolm, with “La” adding a touch of French flair.
They oversee the brand’s planning, production, marketing and sales strategy and agriculture industry growth research. The business grew and led to the development of an innovative wine value kit, the South African Wine Value Kit (SAWVK), aimed at educating, developing, and growing new markets locally and internationally in the wine industry. This thoughtfully curated package contains six bottles of La RicMal wines, a wine glass, a corkscrew and four informative booklets on wine in Afrikaans, English, Xhosa and Zulu. “We wanted to make wine approachable for everyone,” Malcolm says. “Many people shy away from wine because of intimidation or the fear of the unknown. We wanted to change that.”
After the kit’s success, Malcolm and Ricardo focused on a strategic location. Their brainstorming led them to Cape Town International Airport, where they recognised an opportunity to revolutionise the wine industry with a novel concept. “What better place for a wine boutique than the central meeting place in any country,” Malcolm says. Navigating the runway to realise their dream was not without turbulence. Convincing Airports Company South Africa to accept their vision required perseverance and patience. However, their unwavering dedication eventually cleared them for take-off in February.
Innovative experience
La RicMal Wine Boutique features a 65-inch wall-mounted TV screen that takes guests on a visual journey through the lush vineyards and beautiful landscapes of the Western Cape. Rows of wine barrels proudly display some of South Africa’s finest wines, with a selection of over 300 different wines and 50 brands ranging from R150 to R6 500 a bottle. They focus on private estate limited reserves, specialising in the best South Africa offers, and provide a welcoming experience for passengers in Cape Town, the wine capital.
Along with La RicMal Wine, the boutique features well-known labels such as Groot Constantia, Anthonij Rupert, Tokara, Diemersfontein, De Grendel, Kleine Zalze, Landskroon and Beyerskloof. “In addition to serving the international marketplace, we offer premium wines that local consumers would find appealing while keeping cost in mind,” Malcolm says.
They also sell French champagne to attract international customers to the boutique. “We want travellers to discover the essence of South Africa Wine the moment they step into our shop.” Visitors can buy wine from all the wine regions in the Western Cape and have it delivered anywhere in the world if they don’t want to carry wine in their suitcase. La RicMal Wine Boutique is not your traditional winetasting venue. It welcomes over 25 000 visitors daily and expects up to 35 000 per day during the festive season.
The perfect pairing
“It has been such a joy and blessing to build a legacy with my son,” Malcolm says. They each bring distinct flavours to their entrepreneurial ventures. With his reflective personality, Ricardo navigates the business world with quiet determination. At the same time, Malcolm is a dynamic force in the entrepreneurial landscape thanks to his outgoing personality and high energy levels.
Malcolm and Ricardo risked both time and money with their new venture. They made the business decision based solely on their industry experience and knowledge of South Africa’s fine wine offerings.
“We’re far from getting comfortable,” Malcolm says. They have big plans to elevate the wine tourism experience. They are set to introduce a comprehensive package that includes wine tour and tasting tickets, complemented by direct transfers from the airport to Western Cape wineries. They also want to launch an online store and get airlines to offer exclusive discounts, including vouchers for La RicMal Wine Boutique. Another essential part of their strategy is promoting the boutique at other airports to ensure that travellers know this premier destination.
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