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Creating a new growth for kids – via wine - Personality Of The Week
Before the birth of their twin daughters in 2003, former venture capitalist Delarey Brugman and his wife Sandie made a decision that has impacted not only their own family but also the lives of children from Kylemore, the poorest community in the Stellenbosch area. “When we discovered that sandie was pregnant, I changed my philosophy, and decided to leave behind something of integrity that could live on forever,” says Brugman. “We also wanted our children to grow up in an environment where they could be safe and enjoy a wholesome upbringing in nature, and responsible, contributing members of society.”
The Brugmans decided that a wine estate would be the ideal environment in which to raise their family. They required the farm Glen Arum, which they renamed Alluvia, and on their boutique winery near Stellenbosch they now produce wines and have established a business venture offering guests a taste of “the vineyard lifestyle” including five-star accommodation, a professional Golf association-approved putting green, fly fishing, picnics, a spa and scenic flights over the winelands.
In creating “the perfect world” for his children, Brugman felt it would be naïve to do so in isolation from the local community. “Upon research, it became apparent that to achieve sustainable and meaningful change, we needed to help our people to help themselves,” he says.
Realising that many children in the community had the potential to be top achievers academically or in sport, but lacked the financial means to realise their dreams, Brugman took it upon himself to give them a “Chance in life”. He has established the Give Me a Chance trust fund, which aims to raise funds both for the current and future needs of such children.
“Half the money we raise goes directly towards meeting the present needs of the children, and the other half will be invested to ensure a monthly income in perpetuity,” he says. Brugman has the business knowledge to establish such a venture. He established a top sports marketing agency at the age of 24 and within a year of launching the company was managing 50 professional sportsman, including 12 Springbok rugby players. He later founded a financial services company that introduced a unique plan to help large corporations address the socio-economic challenges faced by their entry-level employees. The business evolved into a venture capital company. Through his Give Me a Chance fund, Brugman has “adopted” nine children from Kylemore, who are already proving that his faith in them is justified. “One of the children, an orphan that lives with people who are not his family members, and sleeps on the floor of their shack, has obtained four distinctions and colours for two sports”
Brugman is now appointing mentors. “These will be members of standing in the community who will groom them to enter the commercial arena and become economically active. The children will then be encouraged to undertake similar projects in their community, so this will have an exponential effect.”
While searching for a suitable wine estate before finding Alluvia, Brugman’s aim had also been “to find the best terroir and make a wine that would grab the imagination of the world”. He is working to realise his dream
