FAIRTRADE PLACE IN THE SUN WINES TO BACK CELEBRITY FUNDRAISER
Fairtrade-accredited wine brand Place in the Sun that uses trade rather than aid to enhance the lives of wine-farm workers, is spreading its optimism by supporting a tasty and innovative charity drive to raise funds for children's health.
The brand is one of the key sponsors and the only wine involved in the current Col'Cacchio pizzeria celebrity chef initiative, now in its fifth year. From now until the end of August, the national gourmet pizzeria chain is offering a series of designer pizzas, created by high-profile personalities. Every month a new pizza will be featured, with R5 from the sale of each going to the Children's Hospital Trust.
Pizza lovers will have the choice of Place in the Sun Sauvignon Blanc and Place in the Sun Shiraz, a gold medallist at last year's Decanter Wine Awards in London, to pair with their celebrity pizzas.
"We salute this drive for its ability to make a difference in the lives of others. Last year, when we were also involved, R300 000 was raised for the trust that supports the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and paediatric healthcare in the Western Cape," said global marketing spokesperson for Place in the Sun, Dè-Mari Kellerman. "This year, funds raised will go towards the building of South Africa's first Childsafe Research and Educational Centre."
She said in the same way that diners would be assisting child health by ordering the designer pizzas, every time they ordered Place in the Sun wines, they would be helping the farm workers involved.
"The Devon Valley farmers who supply the grapes for Place in the Sun are paid a premium for their fruit that goes towards upliftment projects. Workers decide themselves on how the money will be spent. To date it has gone towards education, sporting initiatives, home improvements, the creation of vegetable gardens and community-based recreational activities."
Col'Cacchio's celebrity chef pizzas start this month (May) with an innovative Asian-style pizza created by chef, cook book author and teacher, Liam Tomlin. In June, diners can try an Indian-inspired pizza, created by extreme adventurer David Grier. His offering involves a spiced mash potato base, chicken tikka and a host of other oriental flavours. Charly's Bakery has designed the July pizza with fior di latte mozzarella, roasted cherry tomatoes and oven-roasted artichoke hearts.
Col'Cacchio pizzeria will be challenging diners to create their own gourmet pizzas online in a competition to find the fourth celebrity chef. The six finalists, chosen by popular public vote, will compete against each other in a web-based reality series to find the chef whose pizza will be offered to diners during August.
The winner will not only earn the title of celebrity chef but also be entitled to Col 'Cacchio pizza for a year.
