Meet the team
Welcome to the vibrant world of wine.co.za, where wine isn’t just a beverage, it’s a journey! Meet the crew behind the cork-popping magic, a motley crew of oenophiles, grape enthusiasts, wine writers and digital marketing wizards ready to guide you through the labyrinth of wine.
We share a common love for everything wine-related. Each member brings a unique set of skills and expertise to the table, united by the goal of providing you with the most comprehensive wine marketing experience possible.
Kevin Kidson
Founder & Technical Director
Don to the wine.co.za mob, Kevin is where the buck starts and stops. He can be found contemplating The Big Picture and emerges every few months beaming with new business strategies and innovative products to boot.
Judy Brower
Founder & Sales Director
Life partner to The Don, Director of wine.co.za, and most importantly, our resident chef. There is no end to the roles Judy fulfills at home, at work, in life and beyond. In her capacity as Director of wine.co.za she is involved on a strategic level as well as heads up our corporate marketing & sales efforts and HR department.
Michelle Ladewig
Advertising Manager & CellarDirect Merchandising
Fiesty, fearless and fabulous Michelle is a wine.co.za institution. She is loved far and wide across the winelands for her dedication to her e-solutions and advertising clients. Internally, she is affectionately known as our Cosmetics Queen for her appreciation of all things aesthetic.
Garth Hapgood-Strickland
Art Director / Senior Graphic & Web Designer
Dark, daring and damn efficient. Garth is in charge of all CI and what we call, ‘the front-end’, i.e. the look and feel, across all our platforms. Garth works his magic in minutes – having been a magician in a former life. Houdini ain’t got nothing on this lothario of graphic wizardry.
Adele Dixon
Finance, Admin, HR & Compliance Manager
Adele keeps wine.co.za in tip-top shape, making sure that the financials & all aspects of wine.co.za runs smoothly. She is our Queen of tarts, baking gorgeous goodies now and again that keep us very happy. If you ever have a question about wineries, contacts, the meaning of life, she’s your go-to gal.
Jeanine Malan
Digital Media Manager
Jeanine comes from an editing, social media, content marketing and translation background, and we are delighted to see the impact she is making on our SEO.
Suheena Williamson
Content Editor
Suheena originally hails from KZN and we are delighted to have her in the wine.co.za team. She loves dessert wines, and after running our ecommerce division for a few years she has joined our Content Team, very ably keeping our winery info up to date.
Anri Steyn
Content Editor & Admin Assistant
Anri joins us with a host of wine industry experience and already providing assistance to the team since she joined in 2023. Anri will be managing many of our Winery Listings for our Content Team
Calvyn van Wyk
Shop & CellarDirect Manager
Calvyn joined wine.co.za in August 2024 after spending a few years in the tasting room and hospitality space and is managing the wine.co.za ecommerce platforms; tastewine.co.za and all the CellarDirect stores.
Madre Henderson
Admin Assistant and AI Wizard
Madre spent many years in the corporate world and brings a wealth of experience, project management, innovation and warmth to the team, helping out in many areas of the business. AI is her pet pal!
Neil Tabraham
DTC Academy Consultant/Trainer
Neil has trained hundreds of hospitality staff across the winelands and brings a wealth of experience in business, sommelierie, logistics and education to the team. Neil is a partner in the Sommeliers Academy.
Lydia Jardim
CellarDirect Sales Accelerator Consultant
Lydia brings many years of direct sales experience to our team, and is now working with some of our CellarDirect wineries to drive their sales.