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1685
Jean Le Long, a French Huguenot settler, is allocated the title deed for the Boschendal farm (initially called Bossendal meaning buch & vale). -
1693
The Bellingham farm, originally known as Bellinchamp (pretty fields), was granted to French Huguenot Gerrit Janze van Vuuren. -
1715
Abraham De Villiers buys Boschendal and the farm remains in the De Villiers family for 164 years. -
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1902
Cecil John Rhodes dies and the farm is taken over by De Beers which later became Anglo American. -
1903
The railway line is constructed into Franschhoek, which runs next to Franschhoek Cellar and the Old Road Wine Co. facilities. -
1938
Douglas Green began his business with the purchase of the Forrer Brothers business in Main Road Paarl. -
1942
The Douglas Green brand starts gaining a reputation for quality wines and sherries. -
1943
The dynamic winemaking couple, Bernard and Fredagh Podlashuk, acquire the Bellingham farm on the slopes of the Groot Drakenstein Mountain. -
1945
Franschhoek Cellars is founded in Franschhoek’s Main Road by a group of farmers to vinify their grapes on a co-operative basis. -
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1972
Douglas Green sells his business, Douglas Green of Paarl, to Warren “Cappie” Sinclair who retains the well-known brand. -
1976
The giant industrial group Rennies, buys Douglas Green of Paarl, Avrons an importer in Cape Town, and, Spirits producer J.D. Bosman in Johannesburg. Boschendal Manor House is declared a National Monument and is opened to the public. -
1985
To celebrate the 300th anniversary of Boschendal, a Grand Vin Blanc (a Sauvignon Blanc /Semillon blend) is launched in a special bottle that today is the design of the 1685 bottle. -
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1991
Kersaf’s Douglas Green of Paarl is merged with Graham Beck’s Union Wine and DGB is formed from the two entities. -
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1999
Tim Hutchinson leads an MBO in partnership with Brait and acquires a 80% shareholding in DGB. Graham Beck retains a 20% shareholding. -
2000
DGB invests R100m in upgrading the Wellington production, maturation facilities and a new Bellingham Winery is commissioned. -
2001
Awarded SABS ISO 9002 Quality Management accreditation, which was also approved by the British Retail Consortium Standards. -
2002
Wellington Production facility further extended to include 6500sq meters, consisting of new warehousing, bottle storage area, conference room, tasting facility, canteen and changerooms. -
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2004
Widow Mrs. Fredagh Podlashuk agrees with Tim Hutchinson, he can start refurbishing an old building next to the Bellingham Homestead, where she was still living, to create accommodation & a hospitality facility for VIP guests to be called The Bellingham. In an International Wine competition DGB is voted as the best SA Producer. -
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2008
DGB acquires Franschhoek Cellar winery and visitor facility on the Main Road in Franschhoek. -
2009
A major investment in upgrading the Midrand and Wellington warehousing facilities. SAP is introduced and the tank farm in Wellington is also upgraded. -
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2011
Brampton Wine Studio opens in Church Street, Stellenbosch. The PMR business magazine awards DGB the Golden Arrow Award for being the top Liquor Producer and Distributor in South Africa in 2010. Drinks Business Green Awards in London announce DGB as the winner in the Logistics and Supply Chain Green Initiative. -
2012
International Drinks Magazine in London announce DGB as winners in the Green Awards Environmental Ethical category for the bamboo carbon offset community project. -
2015
Boschendal upgrade and refurbish all hospitality and accommodation facilities on the Estate. -
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2016
The Nicolas, a VIP tasting room, conference facility, meeting space and hospitality venue is opened at Boschendal in a section of the old maturation cellar. -
2016
The Old Road Wine Co. is launched. The Old Road Wine Co. cellar door and restaurant facilities are opened in Main Road, Franschhoek. -
2017
DGB purchases Highfield Farm in Elgin, a site offering phenomenon cool climate fruit from high altitude vineyards. -
2018
DGB, in partnership with local farmers, plant the first vineyards in Koo Valley. A new wine area in mountains past Robertson, 1000m above sea level. -
2020
Capitalworks in partnership with CEO Tim Hutchinson purchase the majority shareholding in DGB. -
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2021
DGB acquires Backsberg wines. DGB concludes a deal to acquire the majority shareholding in Backsberg, a long-established name in the Cape Winelands which has been in the hands of the famous Back family for over a century. The transaction followed the sale of Backsberg’s main Simondium farm in late 2020.
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DGB has a Code of Ethics that illustrates our commitment to high ethical standards, and we always endeavour to reflect this in the workings of our staff at all levels.
It is of the utmost importance that the behaviour of our employees is beyond reproach as we believe that our collective behaviour reflects our company and business ethics overall. DGB is firmly committed to the principles of sound corporate governance as contained in the King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa.
As a proud South African company, we expect all our employees to abide by the laws of the country. We support the aims of the South African Constitution to improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.
Our Code of Ethics does not only provide guidance on individual behaviour of DGB staff, but also helps to understand how the company responds to important issues within the industry. It is our stated intention that the products we distribute should be enjoyed in a responsible way. The code is endorsed by the DGB Board of Directors and compliance is a condition of employment for all DGB employees applying to both local and international activities.
