Tag Archives: charity

Sparkling new book on Laurence Graff launched!

Laurence Graff bookA new coffee table book entitled ‘Graff‘ has been launched, and is available for sale locally from Delaire Graff, proceeds of the book sales going to the Graff charity FACET (For Africa’s Children Every Time).

Seven writers present the multi-faceted life of Laurence Graff, who founded the Graff diamond house at the tender age of 22 years, fifty-five years ago.  He worked as an apprentice from a young age, becoming a self-taught gemologist, and was particularly interested in diamonds. He has sold some of the most famous Continue reading →

AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction 2015 exceeds R10 million goal for charity!

CapeWineAuction AfrAsia Glenelly - CopyThe second AfrAsia Bank Cape Wine Auction was held at Boschendal Wine Farm yesterday, and generated R10,5 million, exceeding its goal of monies to be raised at the prestigious event, which saw 34 wine estates offering very generous auction lots.

Bids could be made online, or in person at the Auction. Auction lots were donated by ‘Auction Ambassadors‘, with rare local and international wine collections, gourmet dinners, art, luxury cruises, and unique travel destinations.  The Auction was preceded by a ‘Barrel Tasting & Preview‘ the evening before in what looked from photographs like a magical Dylan Lewis Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 13/14 October

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine new headlines

*   The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced that its profit has increased to its highest level ever, at R1,7 billion, a 73% increase on the year before.  The profit increase was achieved despite the decline in passenger numbers.  The airport infrastructure is to be improved, without any ‘significant’ increases in passenger tariffs.

*   SA Tourism captured attention for our country on Times Square in New York last week, with Hugh Masekela and Sindiswe Nxumalo, a cast member of ‘The Lion King’, performing on a double decker bus to publicise the ‘Ubuntu: Music & Arts of South Africa‘ Festival being held at Carnegie Hall until 5 November. Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela are headline artists for the Festival, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of our democracy, and aims to position South Africa as offering more than the Big Five, in having ‘the most hospitable people in the world‘ as well as the most resilient, given the country’s 350 year history.

*   The Franschhoek-based  Bhabhathane (meaning butterfly in Xhosa) charity promoting childhood development and education Continue reading →

‘Best Before’ dates: are they necessary, do they add to food waste, a retail ploy?

Hard cheesesRecently I have read about a European campaign whereby the ‘Best Before’ dates of foods are being more critically evaluated, seen to having been a ploy by manufacturers to get more of their products sold.  Now the European Union is getting involved in standardising ‘Best Before’ dates for food types, to reduce the 89 million tons of food thrown away in Europe annually, of which at least 10% is still edible. A third of all food produced in Europe is thrown away.

Most food products have two dates, the one being the sell-by date, being the date which the manufacturer feels is the ideal to give the product perfect consistency, taste, and nutritional value; and the other being the ‘Best Before’ date until when it is safe to eat the product.   The longer the time period between date of manufacture and sell-by date, the longer the product is edible after the ‘Best Before’ date.

The European Union has decreed that pasta, rice,coffee, jams, pickles, and hard Continue reading →