Somerset West winemaker, Carmen Stevens, was one of two Western Cape female entrepreneurs who earned national recognition at the prestigious National Female Entrepreneur in Agriculture awards at a gala evening held in Mpumalanga on Sunday evening August 27.
Ms Stevens of Carmen Stevens Wines Pty Ltd, received the award in the category Top Entrepreneur: Export Markets. Ms Stevens was the first black person to study and qualify as a winemaker in South Africa in 1995.
Berene Damons of Tesselaarsdal Wines Pty Ltd, a winemaker from Hermanus, received the award in the category Top Entrepreneur: Processing as well as the Ministerial Special Award: Young Female Entrepreneur.
Alan Winde, MEC of Economic Opportunities, congratulated Ms Stevens and Ms Damons. “Carmen and Berene are ambassadors for our agriculture sector, who are shattering the old perception that agriculture is the domain of men. It is important to showcase the successes of female entrepreneurs in agriculture so we can encourage more women to enter this sector. Berene and Carmen are not only important employers, they are inspiring a new generation of young people to consider a career in agriculture. I am encouraged by their plans to expand their enterprises, and wish them every success for the future.”
