Empowerment in action: Background behind the Jordan Luxury Suites Project
All the farm workers who lived on Jordan Wine Estate, many since the Jordan family had purchased the property in 1982, had life-rights to their houses, but because of subdivision restrictions on agricultural land under South African law, could never own the title deeds to the houses they lived in. Because of this, the Jordan family had promised their long-serving farm staff that on their retirement, they would receive a gift of a home of their own (with the title deed registered in their own name), as a thank-you for their lifetime contribution to the success of Jordan Wine Estate.
When Chef George Jardine presented the Jordan Family with a proposal to open a second restaurant on Jordan Wine Estate (The Bakery at Jordan – now The Cellar Door) with plans to serve breakfast and lunch under the trees in front of the Tasting Room, a meeting was called with the farm workers who lived on the estate about an opportunity for them to participate in the discussion about an ambitious new project which if they agreed to would mean that they would receive houses long in advance of their retirement.
At the meeting, the plans for The Bakery (now The Cellar Door) were discussed, as well as the opportunity to invest in housing sooner than their retirement. It had to be a unanimous decision. Each family would be able to choose their own 2- or 3-bedroomed home that would be sourced with the help of local property agents within the fringe of the City of Cape Town but in close proximity to Jordan Wine Estate. As they were all core staff at Jordan and would still continue to work on the estate, a suggestion was made that the head of each household who had a car and a driver’s license, would help choose a home with either a double garage or carport. This meant that they would have a secure area to park not only their own, but also a company vehicle, and in return, they would transport other staff to work who had never lived on the farm.
A second meeting was arranged for 3 weeks later to discuss their decision, but the next morning the staff asked to meet with Gary Jordan, informing him that they had discussed the plans and all had unanimously decided to take up this generous offer.
It took almost a year to find, purchase and in some cases renovate the ideal houses. Everyone had a different requirement, some wanted to be near a school, others near a station, others close to a church. Shortly after the last family moved into their new home, work began on the cottages to transform them into the Jordan Luxury Suites.
Within two years of the first meeting, the Jordan Luxury Suites opened its doors to instant acclaim.
The original farm staff still work at Jordan and are all the proud owners of their own homes. This project enabled Jordan Wine Estate to not only empower their staff, but also created further work opportunities for their families at the Jordan Luxury Suites.
Visitors to Jordan can experience the agri-tourism of the Stellenbosch Winelands, enjoy an extra glass of wine at one of the two award-winning restaurants on the Estate, and then walk less than 200 metres back to their luxury accommodation.
For more information, please contact Bianke Ohle on marketing@jordanwines.com