Hilton Wild Spirit Wines of Africa
Hilton Reinforces Commitment to Sustainability and Local Craftsmanship with the Launch of Wild Spirit Wines of Africa
The Beverage Conservation initiative showcases a selection of the best wine farms and spirit distilleries in South Africa that champion environmental sustainability, biodynamic farming, and local ingenuity.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced today the launch of its ’Wild Spirit Wines of Africa’ Beverage Conservation programme. In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Under the Influence, guests can enjoy the best wines and spirits from leading South African wine farms and spirit distilleries at eleven participating Hilton hotels across Africa and the Indian Ocean (A&IO).
The initiative was borne out of Hilton’s ‘Big Five’ commitment launched in 2018, to drive sustainable travel and tourism in Africa. The “Big Five” programme supports the implementation of Youth Opportunity, Water Stewardship, Anti-Human Trafficking, Local Sourcing and Protecting Wildlife on the continent. The ’Wild Spirit Wines of Africa’ programme is focused on driving three pivotal elements from the “Big Five” – Local Sourcing, Water Stewardship and Protecting Wildlife.
“South Africa is known for its awe-inspiring wildlife, biodiversity, and magnificent winelands and distilleries that all contribute to the country’s vibrant tourism sector,” said Jan Van Der Putten, Vice President Operations, A&IO, Hilton. “We are proud of our partnership with the WWF and Under the Influence, because it supports our Travel with Purpose commitment to drive responsible travel globally, while creating a positive environmental and social impact across our communities, operations and supply chain. We look forward to offering our guests the best African wines and spirits in our hotels across the region”.
The selected wine farms and spirit distilleries champion the best approach to sustainable and regenerative farming practices, environmental conservation, and protection of water catchment areas that meet the global best standards in sustainable travel and tourism.
Shelly Fuller, from World Wildlife Fund said: “Over the last seven years, we have collaborated with Hilton on various projects to cut the hospitality sector’s environmental footprint and drive industry-leading sustainability efforts globally. In the early part of our collaboration, we jointly developed a multi-year water stewardship strategy to expand sustainable seafood efforts globally, and further reduce food waste within the company’s operations and supply chain".
“We are proud to see that Hilton has continued to walk-the-talk with the launch of its 'Wild Spirit Wines of Africa' Beverage Conservation initiative. The selected wine estates are members of the WWF Conservation Championship Programme, which is a voluntary membership-based initiative for wine farms in the Western Cape, South Africa, and we are excited to showcase these businesses across all Hilton’s participating A&IO hotels” added Shelly Fuller.
The 50-champion wine and spirit farms were chosen because of their unique storied history on winemaking lineages, inclusivity, protection of the natural environment and the efficient use of technology to ensure the long-term sustainability of these invaluable lands. Some of the selected wine farms include – Bosman Family Vineyards, Vondeling Wines, Klein Constantia Estate, Paul Cluver Estate, and Cederberg Wines.
For every bottle of Bosman wine sold, 2% of sales go to the Bosman Adama Community Projects- a communal fund that improves the social, economic, and environmental conditions of their local community. Through their plant improvement facility, they propagate new, healthy vines while cutting nursery supplies. Klein Constantia has developed extensive soil erosion plans, with a special focus on sustainable viticultural practices powered by solar energy.
Allister Kreft, Chief Executive Officer, Under the Influence added: “In our quest to deliver exceptional experiences for our clients and partner hotels, securing the best local product is quintessential to our business. As a trusted beverage distribution partner, we are proud to be affiliated with this remarkable initiative because good winemaking depends on a healthy environment, and it benefits everyone when nature is protected. The purpose behind this campaign is one our business shares, which is to champion the people doing the right thing and making this industry sustainable.”
Guests can enjoy the 'Wild Spirit Wines of Africa' list at participating hotels and can speak to a member of the team at any one of the following hotels: Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch, Hilton Garden Inn Gaborone, Hilton Garden Inn Lusaka Society Business Park, Hilton Garden Inn Mbabane, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Legend Hotel Lagos Airport, Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa, Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa, DoubleTree by Hilton Seychelles Allamanda Resort & Spa, Mango House Seychelles, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Addis Ababa, and Hilton Sandton.
We will continue to document this journey, and have captured some of the wild spirit wine stories below, with more to follow!
Jan Van der Putten, Vice President Africa and Indian Ocean at Hilton Worldwide, takes us through the concept and launch of the Hilton Wild Spirit Wines of Africa drinks list, in partnership with Under the Influence.
At the launch of the Hilton Wild Spirit Wine list at Klein Constantia, Allister Kreft the CEO of Under the Influence takes us through how Under the Influence views and chooses brands to partner with in Africa.
Sustainability at Klein Constantia
Heritage vineyards, heritage grapes and social upliftment of a farm community | Bosman Wines
Conservation in Wine | Paul Cluver | Sustainable farming
Under the Influence Podcast #12 | Pouring with purpose, Drinks Trends | Rhys Owain | Hilton Hotels
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About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising 7,000 properties and 1.1 million rooms, in 122 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list and been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. Hilton has introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the 139 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit stories.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
About World Wildlife Fund
WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century to help people and nature thrive. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat the climate crisis. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest conservation news by following @WWFNews on Twitter.
About Under the Influence
Hilton has also worked closely with Under the Influence since 2014. Founded with the mission of bringing better beverages into Africa, from independent winemakers and distillers – the company has made a name for itself sourcing products directly from top producers and bringing them to their customers. They operate in 25 African countries and have regional offices and warehouses in Stellenbosch, Lusaka, and Nairobi, along with partner offices in major centers.
