DeMorgenzon is a wine producing farm owned by Wendy and Hylton Appelbaum, which they purchased in 2003. DeMorgenzon is situated on the Stellenbosch Kloof Road, approximately 10 minutes from Stellenbosch. DeMorgenzon sits on the southern most point of the Bottelary Hills and farms grapes between 200-400 meters above sea level, making it an ideal site for cool climate Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Syrah production, amongst others. DeMorgenzon also farms seven different species of olive tree, totalling over 2000 trees, and sells the olive oil produced in the tasting room.
Over the last few years DeMorgenzon has implemented various strategies that help to reduce our footprint. A few examples are: the installation of solar panels on our winery roof in 2022, the purchase of cover crop multi-seed planter and the installation of trackers on all tractors to monitor and improve efficiency of viticulture carbon output – DeMorgenzon
DeMorgenzon uses solar energy generated from solar panels installed on the winery roof. The energy produced is used to reduce the amount of power pulled from the Eskom power grid. The farm is currently in phase two of installing batteries to store solar power to help reduce the use of the generator during power outages. The solar power project saves DeMorgenzon approximately 20% of their monthly power need.
DeMorgenzon has installed GPS trackers on all the vineyard tractors, which allows for the monitoring of driving times and speeds in the vineyard, thus allowing the farm to develop more efficient and fuel saving routes.
DeMorgenzon composts all pressed grapes from the harvest season and utilises this on the farm.
The farm has installed flow meters to measure and track volume use, as well as the use of water saving techniques such as water savers on hoses, efficient shut-off ball-valves in the cellar, and yearly cover crop planting in the vineyard. This reduces DeMorgenzon’s water need when irrigation season starts.
All organic waste ends up on DeMorgenzon’s compost heap for the nursery, which is redistributed into the land. For inorganic waste DeMorgenzon recycles old glass bottles, while cardboard and plastic are collected in a SKIP for monthly removal.
Two years ago DeMorgenzon purchased a multi seeder, which allows the farm to make one pass in the vineyard, instead of multiple passes, thus giving the farm an homogenous and even distribution of seed and cover crop development. DeMorgenzon mulches the compost back into certain vineyard blocks.
DeMorgenzon has a 2-3ha block of Renosterveld on the farm, which acts as a nature corridor on the farm. DeMorgenzon manages mealy bug with predator lady birds, via population identification on pheromone traps. Furthermore, DeMorgenzon are also WWF conservation champions.
Through this digital recognition platform, we celebrate the Carbon Heroes taking part in the Confronting Climate Change (CCC) Initiative for their considerable effort in calculating and understanding their carbon emissions.
Each Carbon Hero has their own digital QR code that can be displayed on their website and other marketing material, linking directly to their individual profile on the Carbon Heroes website.
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With the Carbon Heroes QR code we aim to support a global transition towards sustainable development by recognising and celebrating the positive environmental impact of each Carbon Hero. By having a transparent display of their commitment to reducing emissions, Carbon Heroes demonstrate their dedication to a sustainable future, while building trust in their brand.
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