Who We Are

Bayede! is the only Royal Signature and ‘By appointment to’ trademark on the African continent. It reflects royalty, history, culture and quality.

The story of Bayede! dates back more than 200 years ago, when King Shaka Zulu, the founder of South Africa’s Zulu Kingdom, was greeted by his subjects with the royal salute ”Bayede!”, which translates as “Hail the King!” King Shaka reorganized the Zulu fighting units and is famed for uniting and developing his tribe into a formidable and powerful force.

Today the amaZulu people are the largest ethnic group in South Africa and number more than 17 million. To date, this great nation had nine Zulu kings, each with a distinctive legacy.

As with the rich Zulu history of successive kings, the Bayede! Royal brand endures beyond generations. The brand is a living legacy, a tangible product reflecting royalty, culture, and history.

The story of Bayede!wine and spirits

The firstliving custodianof Bayede!

King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu was the eighth reigning King of the Zulu nation under the Traditional Leadership clause of the South African Constitution. In 1971, at the age of 23, he was crowned at a traditional ceremony at Nongoma.

He played an instrumental role in the peaceful transition to the first Democratic election in South Africa. The king was called upon by many world leaders to intervene and to facilitate peaceful transition. He was also known as “King of Peace” and remembered for preserving and re-igniting Zulu culture.

The passing of HM King Goodwill Zwelithini in 2021 – the first living custodian of the Bayede! Royal Trademark – is sad, but the brand continues to carry forward the legacy of the Zulu nation.

After a cup of tea shared with King Goodwill Zwelithini and Queen Mantfombi in September 2008, entrepreneur Antoinette Vermooten realised that not only was His Majesty King Goodwill completely non-discriminatory, but his obvious integrity and evident sincerity to help the poor and needy was music to her ears.

The King asked her, his ‘sister’, to help him to create jobs in South Africa. The King gave his warrant, the official Royal seal and signature to the Bayede! company. He gave his support for the Bayede! brand to keep the Zulu legacy alive.

 

How the Bayede! brand came about

After a cup of tea shared with King Goodwill Zwelithini and Queen Mantfombi in September 2008, entrepreneur Antoinette Vermooten realised that not only was His Majesty King Goodwill completely non-discriminatory, but his obvious integrity and evident sincerity to help the poor and needy was music to her ears.

The King asked her, his ‘sister’, to help him to create jobs in South Africa. The King gave his warrant, the official Royal seal and signature to the Bayede! company. He gave his support for the Bayede! brand to keep the Zulu legacy alive.

The Bayede! company

The company evolved and the dedicated Bayede! team developed new wine ranges and products following the Royal protocol: the Prince, Princess, Queen and King Shaka Zulu ranges. As the brand grew, more wine ranges were developed, Bayede! 7 Icons, the Bayede! Royal, and the Bayede! Royal Reserve wine ranges.

Bayede! wine ranges such as those with the names of the Majesties were awarded numerous gold, double gold and international gold medals. The wines are crafted and selected by Altus le Roux, the Bayede! winemaker with 45 years’ experience of his craft.

In 2019 the Bayede! brand expanded to spirits and the premium Bayede! Royal XO Cape Brandy was launched. Two months after the launch it won the trophy for the best Spirits in South Africa. Since then, the Bayede! XO has won numerous gold and double gold medals. Bayede! Marketing Pty Ltd signed supply agreements with the top producers of wine and spirits in South Africa to ensure that consistency and quality standards are met.

Through these agreements, Bayede! sensitised the wine producers to transformation and assisted them to expand their capacity.

Bayede! Wine and Spirit Ranges

It is the mission of the Bayede! company to preserve the legacy, culture and history of the Zulu nation and the Zulu kings. The vision is to be the Number One internationally recognised African brand.

Bayede! Marketing Pty Ltd is a registered Level Two black majority owned company and has been operating for over eleven years. It operates in a sustainable manner with no financial support required of its shareholders. The company Bayede! Marketing Pty Ltd is aims to provide employment opportunities – not only to provide sustainable jobs but also to empower people through skills transfer and capacity building. A range of diversified products was developed using labour mainly from local communities.


Bayede! Job Creation

Since Antoinette loves Zulu beadwork, it was decided to add beads to enhance the Bayede! wine and other products. At present thirty ladies do beadwork for the Bayede! wines and spirit range, each telling a story with the different bead colours used, also reflecting the colours of the South African flag.

In 2012 there were around 1 200 direct and indirect beneficiaries to the company either by active involvement, service delivery, manufacturing or through the beading projects.

More than 1.4 million rand had been paid out to the beading ladies, impacting positively on their lives. During the annual beading ‘graduation’, the impact of the beading money is shared with the group and the Bayede! team ensures that all the details are recorded.
The Zulu King envisages that the Bayede! Royal trademark will be ‘’the instrument that puts food on tables and people to work”.

  • Bayede! Women
    Empowerment
    Foundation

    Because of the Covid pandemic in 2021, and ensuing challenges regarding alcohol abuse, Antoinette Vermooten decided to register a non-profit company, named the Bayede! Women Empowerment Foundation.

    This foundation will focus training on responsible drinking and cover issues such as domestic violence and early childhood Development. Thus the story of Bayede! continues to continue…

  • How do we
    create jobs?

    Bayede! is focused on job creation opportunities which not only provide sustainable jobs but also empowers people through skills transfer and capacity building. Our aim is to ignite industries and develop people to become self sufficient. Bayede! develops products, designs and sources products from a variety of individuals and small enterprises in an effort to help with sustainable job creation.

    We focus on agriculture, arts and crafts and manufacturing. There are currently 90 entities involved in Bayede! Marketing, benefiting more than 1200 people.

  • Financial
    & Social Benefits

    Different beading groups are involved in this project. We focus on women empowerment in rural areas of South Africa. Bayede! aims to bring hope and dignity to women and to uplift impoverished communities. Bayede! also has an intern program that assists young graduates to obtain work experience.

    We aim to revive culture and to develop a royal brand that portrays 200 years of South African History. Bayede! aims to unite the nations in an effort to bring unity and prosperity to all. The Royal African brand from Africa.

  • Manage Quality
    & Sustainability

    All the Bayede! Royal Wines are decorated with beadwork: more than a million bottles of wines were sold since 2009. Accountability is our priority and all beading projects are closely monitored to insure that the beading ladies receive financial benefits for their work and efforts.

    Yearly certificates are handed out to every beader as recognition for their hard work. Bayede! also focuses on people with disabilities, involving them in the beading projects.


Bayede! Women Empowerment Foundation

Because of the Covid pandemic in 2021, and ensuing challenges regarding alcohol abuse, Antoinette Vermooten decided to register a non-profit company, named the Bayede! Women Empowerment Foundation.

This foundation will focus training on responsible drinking and cover issues such as domestic violence and early childhood Development. Thus the story of Bayede! continues to continue…

How do we create jobs?

Bayede! is focused on job creation opportunities which not only provide sustainable jobs but also empowers people through skills transfer and capacity building. Our aim is to ignite industries and develop people to become self sufficient. Bayede! develops products, designs and sources products from a variety of individuals and small enterprises in an effort to help with sustainable job creation.

We focus on agriculture, arts and crafts and manufacturing. There are currently 90 entities involved in Bayede! Marketing, benefiting more than 1200 people.

Financial & Social Benefits

Different beading groups are involved in this project. We focus on women empowerment in rural areas of South Africa. Bayede! aims to bring hope and dignity to women and to uplift impoverished communities. Bayede! also has an intern program that assists young graduates to obtain work experience.

We aim to revive culture and to develop a royal brand that portrays 200 years of South African History. Bayede! aims to unite the nations in an effort to bring unity and prosperity to all. The Royal African brand from Africa.

Manage Quality & Sustainability

All the Bayede! Royal Wines are decorated with beadwork: more than a million bottles of wines were sold since 2009. Accountability is our priority and all beading projects are closely monitored to insure that the beading ladies receive financial benefits for their work and efforts.

Yearly certificates are handed out to every beader as recognition for their hard work. Bayede! also focuses on people with disabilities, involving them in the beading projects.