About · Founded 2015
Baobab Wines is the only US importer focused exclusively on South African wine. Fourteen producers. Twenty-eight states. One very specific mission.
2015
Year founded
14
Producers
200+
Wines
28
States
38
Trade partners
Our Story
Baobab Wines was founded in 2015 with a simple conviction: South African wine was underrepresented in the US, and the country deserved an importer who would tell its story properly — not as an afterthought alongside a dozen other regions.
Ten years in, that conviction has shaped everything. Our portfolio is 100% South African. More than half of our producers are diversified or first-generation. Every wine is certified sustainable, and many are organic, biodynamic, or Fair Trade. We distribute nationally but we know every account by name.
“South Africa doesn't need a louder voice in the US wine market. It needs a better translator.”
The founding premise, 2015
We represent multigenerational estates — farms that have been tending the same granite slopes since before California had a wine industry — alongside the young winemakers redefining what South African wine sounds like today. Both traditions matter. Both are in the portfolio for good reason.
Every bottle we bring in tells a story about a place and the people who made it. That's the work. Everything else is logistics.
How we work
01
Every year our team walks the Cape — Stellenbosch, Paarl, Walker Bay, Breedekloof, Sondagskloof, Elgin. We drink with winemakers, walk vineyards, and keep notes on hundreds of wines most US buyers will never hear about.
02
From hundreds of tastings, a handful make the cut. If a wine isn't ready, we don't take it. If we can't stand behind the story, it's not in the book. Our portfolio is as much about what we leave out as what we bring in.
03
Then the real work starts: Vine Talker PDFs, buyer tastings, menu placements, distributor trainings, state-by-state activation. Every producer we carry gets the same level of advocacy — whether it's their third vintage or their thirtieth.
Our values
Our portfolio is built on three non-negotiables. They're why every producer in the book looks the way they do — and why the book is smaller than it could be.
We focus on family-owned estates and independently run brands. Our winemakers know how to maximise terroir through generations of knowledge — and we'd rather carry fewer wines that mean more than a long list that means nothing.
Meet our producersEvery wine in our portfolio carries certified sustainable credentials. Many are organic, biodynamic, Fair Trade, WIETA, or IPW. We care about the land and about the people who work it — and we think buyers deserve to know which bottles live up to the label.
See the certificationsSouth Africa is often called the Rainbow Nation for good reason. Our strength as a wine region comes from its multigenerational farming families and from the young trailblazers who haven't historically had access to the land. We represent both, deliberately.
Why this mattersOur People
Founder, Owner, Operator
“We celebrate a new dawn of South African winemakers and brand owners, alongside some of the most coveted multi-generational family-owned estates from the key appellations of South Africa. We support producers who make wine the right way.”
Born in Zambia and raised on a farm, Giles's early life instilled a deep respect for the land and the values of hard work. His career led him across Africa for over two decades in leadership roles at DHL, British American Tobacco, and Vodafone — tackling large supply-chain challenges to build infrastructure in remote regions.
Beyond logistics, Giles has always been drawn to people — their stories, talents, and the connections that tie them together. Cape Town became his place of recharge; the Cape Winelands a source of joy. That love of South African wine took root there.
After relocating to the US in 2015, Giles sought a way to stay connected to Africa while building something meaningful. That vision became Baobab Wines — driven by a belief in the continent's winemaking talent and a passion for encouraging trade between America and Africa.
Sales Director
“The excitement for South African wine is unmatched — purpose, place, nature and people culminate into something truly extraordinary.”
A proud South African, Samantha's passion for wine is rooted in her love for the country's terroir, cultures, and a belief in storytelling as a tool for connection. Her background is in marketing and brand strategy, previously leading the multinational growth of premium imported wines in South Africa.
She focuses on building meaningful trade partnerships across the US and sparking curiosity among buyers — inviting them to discover the depth and character of South Africa's most exciting producers.
The name
The baobab is indigenous to Africa, can live for up to 5,000 years, and provides shelter, food, and water for the animals and people around it. In many African cultures it's called the Tree of Life — endurance, generosity, rootedness.
The logo started as a doodle of an upside-down baobab tree. The name stuck because it describes the kind of long-view, community- rooted business we want to run. Not a wine brand — a trade partner for the long run.
The best way to understand Baobab Wines is to taste the portfolio. Book a trade session and we'll pour you through the highlights — in person or virtually, anywhere in the country.