ISAW Founder
My name is Stephen Satterfield. I am the Founder of the International Society of Africans in Wine (ISAW Foundation). Since enrolling in my first wine class at the age of 19, I knew that I would be in this industry for the rest of my life. For me, wine is the lens through which I view the world. The connectivity between history, geography, family and culture is unlike any other product in the world. With the creation of the ISAW Foundation, we can now add economic opportunity to this list!
In December of 2007, as a sommelier in Atlanta, GA, I learned of an unbelievable story about Malmsey and Diale Rangaka, owners of the M’hudi Estate, the first black winery in South Africa. Their story was significant not only because they were the first vineyard owners after apartheid, but their stake in the wine industry of South Africa was a monumental accomplishment in a 350 year-old industry intrinsically linked to a history of slavery, oppression, and disenfranchisement.
The ISAW Foundation was created to support the socioeconomic transformation of South Africa’s wine industry.
