Klein Begin Laundry
One of Spier farm’s challenges has been finding ways of not only transforming its supply chain and use small black-owned businesses, but also to create sustainable jobs at Spier and encourage a spirit of enterprise development that would in turn create wealth and jobs for the local community.Instead of outsourcing laundry, we set up a laundry onsite using two containers. The infrastructure was built and machines bought before asking for tenders to run it. When the project was launched in 2004, the laundry had three staff. It now has a total of six staff members.
The daily laundry load includes table cloths, towels, serviettes and pillowcases from the Spier Hotel and Restaurant, as well as from the Camelot Spa and Eight Restaurant on the estate. During high season the Klein Begin Laundry teams handle between 2000 and 2500 items every day, while this load drops to between 1000 and 1500 per day during the low season.
Klein Begin Laundry shares Spier’s commitment to sustainability and various energy and water saving processes are in place.
The Klein Begin Laundry makes use of an environmentally friendly bleach powder. This powder removes all stains (including red wine and curry), but does not weaken the material or stain white materials yellow. The bleach becomes ineffective once it comes into contact with cold water (the laundry is done at temperatures of between 35° C and 60° C) and the cold laundry water can therefore be safely recycled to the Spier Wastewater Treatment Plant. This innovative treatment plant cleans and re-energises wastewater generated on the estate. The “grey water” is then used to irrigate Spier’s garden and grounds – this project is the first of its kind in South Africa.
Several processes are in place to ensure that the Klein Begin Laundry re-uses all its water up to three times before it is eventually pumped away to the Spier Wastewater Treatment Plant. The laundry only works with white items means that the water can be re-used for several washing loads, saving up to 1500 l water every day. The laundry also ensures its geyser settings are at an optimum to ensure that it also saves as much electricity as possible.
Spier recognises that procurement spend is a powerful agent of change and we focus on procurement from small, local, black-owned suppliers. More than two thirds of the suppliers used by Spier Wines are from the local community and another 25% of suppliers are regional; our own team of seasonal labourers is also appointed to work in the vineyards and on the estate’s agricultural land instead of making use of labour brokers, another powerful way of empowering local communities and creating employment.
By supporting local business we also reduce our carbon footprint and contribute meaningfully to the local economy and community.