The number of vegans worldwide has been growing steadily for several years – a trend that can also be clearly observed in South Africa. The South African Society estimates that the number of vegans in the country is set to double every two years. In order to meet increasing demand from vegans, the former organic farm “Ord de Rac” in Swartland now offers vegan wines.
No egg proteins are used in the vegan wine, and certain fish products are omitted from the production process. Instead, Ord de Rac only uses animal-free products such as clay-based bentonite. The Ord de Rac has been an organic winery since the 2000s and has built up a good reputation over the years. Frank Meaker, cellar master with Org de Rac, says the vegan reorientation of the enterprise is due to a very high demand for animal-free products. When he analysed the local and global wine market, he was particularly struck by the so-called millennials. The Millennials are already considered the most active vegan generation.
The development of veganism can also be expressed in figures. The UK is one of South Africa’s most important export partners and recorded a growth of 185% in vegan products between 2012 and 2016. China is anticipating a similar trend. In Hong Kong, almost one in four people are already vegans, and a continuous increase of 17% between 2015 and 2020 has already been forecast for the vegan population.
