Thato Montse advises ditching the mundane in favor of RHOCT’s Thato Montse uncovers her wine journey fresh and intriguing African mixtures.
She created her own wine company, Thato Wines, to honor her Basotho background.
One of the Real Housewives of Cape Town, Monste, will appear on our television screens in July. She promises that we’ll see much more of her wine brand and other parts of her life at this time.
Montse, a marketer by trade, had some prior experience working on alcoholic beverage brands before launching Thato Wines.
RHOCT’s Thato Montse uncovers her wine journey
On the Real Housewives of Cape Town set, Montse. The program highlights her wine line. Image credit: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
“I received my diploma from Vega School while studying brand communication. After completing my doctoral studies in design thinking and brand innovation, I started working in advertising and worked on the Savannah and Amarula brands.
The beginning of an incredible journey. She was recruited by a wine brand at this point to handle their internet marketing while she was still working at a renowned advertising firm. Montse claims that this marketing led her to decide to launch her own wine company.
“[Their] goal was obviously to generate sales. I responded, “No, those aren’t smart objectives.” In the process of restructuring and rebuilding that business, I came to the realization that the wine industry is predominately male, old, and white.
According to Montse, she discovered that the local wine brands were really traditional, and she had the idea that she need to create her own.
I went to the University of Stellenbosch and enrolled after noticing a gap in the market.
I took a beginner’s course in winemaking before enrolling in a program. At the Cape Wine Academy to pursue my interest in the subject.
Having [my own wine brand] wasn’t on my radar until I did my research, rebranded, and repositioned the [other] brand, but I did so because I noticed a need in the market.
I immediately fell in love with it and thought, “Why am I working on a plan for other people? Why am I unable to develop my own strategy?
Montse, who is originally from Lesotho, values authenticity greatly. She was really passionate about having her own brand reflect her culture and background when she first launched it.
“I truly wanted a brand that tells my narrative and connects with our target consumer on an emotional level,” the brand’s owner said.
I desired a brand that could both communicate a genuine tale and embrace my own culture, traditions, and background.
She cares so much about each step of the procedure because of this. She claims to have identified her target markets and is committed to satisfying their needs.
From grape picking through harvest time, I am involved. I am familiar with the varieties, and I am aware of my target market. Which includes the middle-class emerging market as well as the wealthy, aspirational, and elite markets.
I am aware of the tastes and drives of [these demographics]. Work closely with you and turn no stone untouched.
Building a wine brand has not been a simple process for Montse. She claims that customers for wine occasionally hesitate to purchase a visibly black brand.
In the wine industry, a woman
When it comes to our target market, if [people] hear it’s RHOCT’s Thato Montse uncovers her wine journey named Thato Wines, they don’t want to support you, therefore there is no transformation, and that is why we are fighting.
According to Montse, the industry is fiercely cutthroat, capital-intensive. And lacking in knowledge sharing, making it even more difficult to get into.
“I believe that studying winemaking and associating with other wine farms was the best investment I could have made. Not everyone can invest in the wine sector because it requires a lot of capital.
