Bringing it to the table

She's sharpening palates and raising consciousness with her wine business

Selena and Khary Cuffe import and distribute South African wines made exclusively by black-owned wineries. (Photo by Ken Stewart/Getty Images for the Boston Globe)

Selena Cuffe was miserable in her job marketing Pringles chips in Latin America and Mexico for Procter & Gamble. "Here you are in focus groups with kids, trying to figure out how to get them to consume more Pringles," she says. "I felt I was aiding the obesity epidemic."

Then, on a trip to Johannesburg in 2005, Cuffe saw an ad for the Soweto Wine Festival and decided to check it out. She was dazzled by the first wine she tasted and asked where she could get it in the United States. The black purveyor chuckled: We're struggling to get distribution here at home, much less the United States, she told her.

Intrigued, Cuffe did some research and discovered that of the 570 wineries in South Africa, fewer than 2 percent were owned by blacks. And that number is misleading: Some are cooperatives where the black laborers, most without education or management skills, own a small piece of the land to produce their own wine. Or they're "virtual vintners," who buy their grapes and wine-making expertise from others.

The $3 billion-a-year South Africa wine industry has been strictly controlled by whites, who during apartheid often paid their black workers with wine. The traditional "dop" system engendered a cycle of poverty and dependence, and left a tragic legacy: babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome. By the time Cuffe attended the Soweto Wine Festival, things had improved but still had a long way to go.

"A light went off in my head," she says. She left her corporate job, and soon after, she and her husband, Khary, founded Heritage Link Brands, the only US company to exclusively import African wine made by indigenous producers. She's president and CEO and he's CFO of the Waltham-based company, which has another office in Los Angeles.

The couple, who met at Harvard Business School, have since left Boston for Cincinnati, where Khary works for Procter & Gamble. "It's the cost of living," says Cuffe, who with Khary has two sons (their youngest was born last week). Any disposable income they have, she says, they pour into Heritage Link.

In February 2007, the first Heritage Link wine appeared on shelves in Whole Foods and other retailers throughout the country. Within three weeks, the 700 cases sold out. Last year Heritage Link sold 8,000 cases of wine in the United States and to South African Airways.

The four brands the firm represents - Bouwland, Seven Sisters, M'hudi, and Eden's Vineyards - can be found in many states, including at Epcot Center in Disney World, retail stores, restaurants, and airlines. This month the wines will be rolled out in 80 Shaw's Supermarkets throughout New England, and Cuffe is hoping to close soon on a deal with United Airlines. And she has two more South African brands that are about to sign contracts with her.

At 32, Cuffe has the polished veneer and unabashed enthusiasm of a born salesperson, but her job is formidable: First she must sell the black vintners - a disparate group with differing issues - on her enterprise, then she must sell US stores on their wine. She visits South Africa three times a year and holds business-oriented workshops for the winemakers, but one of her biggest frustrations has been getting them to build inventory and ship it on time.

Most of the Heritage Link bottles have a blurb on the back denoting them as Black Economic Empowerment wineries, meaning they receive help from the South African government, which has mandated that 30 percent of the vineyards be under black ownership by 2014. They also carry the Heritage Link logo: an elephant with a wine bottle.

Cuffe's goal is to make the wines "household names." But why should US consumers care about buying black South African wines, as opposed to vintages from better-known estates?

"Our story is one of hope, and I think that the story behind these wines strikes a chord with America," she says. "Look at the immigrants who came to this country searching for a better life for their families. I think that what it took to produce these wines is similar to the American dream. Not to mention that the wines are great."

M'hudi is one of Heritage Link's success stories. The farm's sauvignon blanc has garnered international awards and was recently given an 89 rating (out of 100) by Wine Spectator. "The highest rating ever given to any South African wine is a 93," Cuffe notes. Heritage Link imports all of M'hudi's sauvignon blanc - 1,500 cases - and 400 cases of its pinotage.

"Selena is a dynamo," says Diale Rangaka, who owns M'hudi with his wife, Malmsey. "[Selena] doesn't stop. She's a very hard-nosed, well-trained businesswoman. She has passion, she has vision. She's making history here and in the US."

Though M'hudi isn't yet breaking even - neither is Heritage Link - both are hopeful that this year will be a good one. And each depends on the other for success.

"I know it's been a financial boost for the three wineries we represent," Cuffe says. "For Seven Sisters, we're their largest customer, and at times we've helped them stay in business." The wine is produced by seven sisters who grew up in a rural fishing village and give a percentage of their earnings to the town.

Peter McCann, the wine buyer for Whole Foods stores in the Boston area, says he likes the "empowerment wines" for their quality and affordability, and for their message. When he began stocking the wines, he held an event for the public where he featured the wines and told their stories. "We got a great crowd," says McCann, who was Cuffe's first customer. "People do care about their stories and are interested in supporting the program."

The way Cuffe sees it, she's got the best of both worlds: She thinks her business will make money while contributing to an important cause. And the fact that she works with kindred spirits - her CEOs so far are black women - means a lot to her.

"One day I'm going to have to meet my maker and I know that while I was here I served a purpose that was higher than just for me and mine, that I stood for something," she says.