A. Social Investment
1. Economy
1.1 Elgin Valley Tourism Initiative
Appletiser is proud to be a sponsor of the Elgin Valley Tourism Initiative, which endeavours to promote the Elgin Valley and Grabouw regions from a tourism perspective and in so doing will contribute to job creation and the economy of the home of Appletiser
1.2 Enterprise Development and the community
In addition to ongoing efforts to support previously disadvantaged individuals in starting up or in developing their own businesses, the warehouse partnership with the Williams Brothers has been very successful. A further initiative is being investigated for 2012 implementation
2. Education
Appletiser knows better then anyone that in order to yield only the best apples one needs to invest at the source of the goodness, the earth from which the apples are grown, that is why Appletiser has chosen to invest in education because investment at the source of our future is the only way to yield a better tomorrow.
2.1 Adopt a school
Appletiser has three schools in Grabouw that they have supported annually since 1981.
Dennegeur Primary School
This school was established by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church, and has served the children of farm labourers since the 1950's. It is built on ground donated by a family in the community and is one of the schools Appletiser has supported since the 1980's and during that time has assisted with a variety of projects, the most recent being the provision of a sports field.
St Michaels Primary School
St Michaels is a small farm school. Appletiser has assisted St Michaels this year by answering their request for computers.
Groenberg Secondary School
Appletiser has assisted Groenberg Secondary School, a High School in Grabouw both financially for equipment and with computers.
2.2 Early Childhood Development: Xola Naledi Melrose Place Creche
Theewaterskloof Municipality set out to build a crèche for the community of Xola Naledi Melrose Place, as part of the Grabouw Sustainable Development Initiative. Unfortunately due to lack of funding, construction ceased, when the building had only reached window height.
This is when Appletiser decided to step in, and offered to pay for the completion of the project and in so doing, ensure that there is an operational early child facility for young ones to receive education in a healthy and safe environment.
Funds were provided to the Elgin Learning Foundation and the Overberg Training College to assist the Theewaterskloof Municipality in the managing and building of the crèche. The project will not only prepare children at the pre-primary level for primary school but it will also create a number of jobs in the area. The project is anticipated to be complete in August 2010.
2.3 Elgin Learning Foundation
In addition to the above Appletiser has been involved with the Elgin Learning Foundation (ELF), a foundation that serves disadvantaged communities of South Africa in primarily rural areas through education, training and development.
Appletiser has donated funds to ELF for their Science Laboratory as part of their schools initiative and continues to look forward to future opportunities to assist this valuable initiative.
2.4 Appletiser Learnerships
Appletiser recognises that education is not only needed at a foundational level in South Africa. For this reason over the last three years Appletiser has recruited twenty five young people from Grabouw who had finished their schooling but had limited further education opportunities.
The company has put these individuals on one year learnerships, a highly effective way for the said learners to obtain a NQF qualification while working full time and gaining experience in their chosen field of study.
The two learnerships we have focused on are NQF 3 Food and Beverage Packaging Operations Qualification and NQF 3 Soft Drinks Qualification.
Some of the learners we are proud to say have subsequently become permanently employed with Appletiser.
We are delighted to have received a Foodbev SETA Baobab Award 2010 for Excellence in Providing Employment for Learners.
2.5 Appletiser Bursary Awards 2010
Appletiser also provides bursaries to our employee's children who wish to study after completing school.
2010 is considered to be a year of success, prosperity and for chasing your dreams. The Learning and Development Department can testify to that, having received a significantly high number of bursary applications as compared to previous years.
Very strict criteria were applied when assessing the applications and awarding the bursaries. Seven well deserving students walked away with bursary awards to pursue Degrees and Diplomas at well known institutions.
2.6 Grabouw Schools - Creating Additional Space
There is a desperate need for quickly accessible additional space for schools; throughout Grabouw, every child has the right to an education in a safe environment with enough space to grow and learn.
Appletiser recognised this and has donated a number of containers to be refurbished to meet the growing needs of schools in the area. Appletiser has donated and placed containers in five such schools to provide additional classrooms, a tuck shop and a library.
3. Product Donations
For a number of years Appletiser has donated product to the local community. In the last financial year we donated to over 50 organisations including the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, National Sea Rescue Institute and Rape Crisis amongst others.
Here are just two examples of letters of appreciation we received for the donations made:
Appletiser and FoodBank, Cape Town
We have fostered a relationship with the Foodbank Cape Town. The project has gone a long way to providing for the needy, and we are extremely proud to be involved.
"Through Appletiser's generous donations we as FoodBank Cape Town and the greater FoodBank South Africa Network have been able to support 302 agencies up to date and provide them that nutritious, healthy option to what they would normally be faced with. Without companies like this we are unable to undertake the task that we have taken on and from the FoodBanking Network we would like to thank companies such Appletiser."
- FoodBank Cape Town
Theewaterskloof Municipality : Community Day
The Theewaterskloof Municipality requested product for the Community Day they were organising on the 28 November 2009. The whole community was invited, and the focus was on sports and cultural activities, and to raise awareness of the effects of HIV / AIDS. Appletiser donated 206 cases for the day.
I would hereby like to let you know that the community day held on the 28 November 2009 was a great success! I don't know if you have already heard something about it, but it was a very lovely day. The weather was nice, a lot of people showed up and the program was a lot of fun.
We were also able to supply all the visitors with enough to eat, but especially with lots of Appletiser! Having Appletiser there was fantastic, everyone was very eager for some nice refreshments.
Thank you all very much.
Kind regards,
The whole organization of the Community Day ,
Marlou Stoltenborg
