A family affair
As the 4th generation of wine-makers, Friesland is owner-managed by brother and sister duo, De Bruyn and Marie, alongside De Bruyn’s wife, Marilise.
De Bruyn grew up in the Cape winelands on his family’s wine estate. He is a lawyer by trade with a Master’s degree in International trade law, and is a member of the Institute of Cape Wine Masters. He has close to two decades’ global experience in the wine industry, which includes roles as Global Director of Sales & Marketing at KWV and before that various roles with Distell, including a 4-year stint in London as International Business Manager.
Marié’s love for agriculture was predominantly influenced by her late father Kosie Steenkamp, a giant in the SA wine industry, whom she would follow around the farm like a shadow as a child. Years later, as she became a young adult, they discovered they also had a shared passion for wine and the wine industry. Marié says: “He has even been my date to various wine functions!”