Last night we had a great Woodsmoke Evening for the Siena Park apartment residents. It turned out to be a beautiful evening here in DC once again. The Diemersfontein Pinotage & Degrendal Rose were the huge hits of the evening. To purchase some of the great wine that was enjoyed last night go HERE. Here are some photos from last night, thanks for coming!
This was my interview on 10/11 news where I speak a little bit about why I started Woodsmoke. Also check out some of Woodsmoke’s great products in the background.
Cheers,
Sean Founder Woodsmoke
Earlier this year we had a goal to sell 258 scarves in 2 months to help to educate one of Miriam Kamanthe’s sons, Christopher. With your help we far exceeded this goal and gave Christopher the chance to go to school for one year. Unfortunately, I could not make it to Kenya to hand over the money to Miriam because of extremely high airline prices. We were able to get her the money through some very good friends that live in Kenya though. Miriam was ecstatic to say the least.
Education is the ultimate gift that you can give in Africa. Families struggle to afford the high cost of education in Kenya and receive very little government subsidy. Education gives hope for a brighter future. Without an education there is very little chance to succeed in life especially when jobs are not as prevalent as they are in the US. THANK YOU so much for helping change the life of this family in Africa.
Our new goal kicks off today and that is to educate Dorothy, Miriam’s second child for a year. Our goal is to sell 258 scarves by the end of August to educate Dorothy for a year. Purchase a scarf HERE and help to change the life of a family in Africa.
Christopher & Miriam
Dorothy & Miriam (Miriam is wearing a scarf on her head)
Kweri (cheers),
Sean, Founder Woodsmoke
We had an amazing event to celebrate the start of the World Cup and Woodsmoke’s arrival in DC. The weather was perfect, perfect backdrop, and unbelievable crowd. Thank you to all who made this night a success.
Last week I went to a restaurant in Laguna Beach, California called Mozambique. I had heard rumors from my brother that it was fantastic and wanted to check it out. Well I was blown away by how awesome it was. Mozambique has a Portuguese influence in its cuisine that go back to colonial days. What they are famous for is a chili that grows in Mozambique called African Birds Eye Chili, what the natives call Pili Pili, to Western ears this sounds like Peri Peri. Peri Peri is used in most of their cooking and blended very well with Portuguese chicken and seafood. Peri Peri sauce is the magic sauce for chicken and seafood. It has unbelievable flavor and can make a bland chicken be very tasty. It is widely used in South Africa but is often hard to find here in the United States.
Night at Mozambique with Manager George Poulos
Mozambique restaurant showcases the greatness of Mozambique culture from its setting to its food and its people. The restaurant has a great vibrancy and spirit about it that portrays the greatness of Africa. The place is packed all nights of the week and has a live band on weekends. The food is spectacular and Peri Peri is used in many of the dishes. They also have a great wine list and have chosen many spectacular South African red wines. I enjoyed a glass of Thelema Merlot with Peri Peri prawns for dinner. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is traveling down to Southern California and is looking for a unique experience. Amazing food, wine, and most of all a great vibe. To find out more about Mozambique click HERE.
Cheers,
Sean, Founder Woodsmoke
We had an amazing time on Tribeca rooftop for the Great South African Wine Show. The show was brilliant from every standpoint. There were over 80 South African wineries there with unbelievable wine. South Africa is really pushing hard into the US market at the moment because of the upcoming awareness that the World Cup will give South Africa. The South African wine industry is over 300 years old and our wines are a great mix of old and new world wines. Big things will be happening for South African wine in the next few years. Here is an interview with Anneke Buys from Vrede en Lust. Anneke gives us a quick run down of Vrede en Lust’s wine and some interesting facts about wine.
Anneke Buys from Vrede en Lust from Sean Coetzee on Vimeo.
Tomorrow night is the largest South African Wine tasting in United States history on the breathtaking Tribeca Rooftop in NYC. At this event you will be able to taste over 800 wines from 80 South African wineries. To compliment the wines, a tasty selection of passed and stationary hors d’oeuvres based on traditional South African recipes will be served.
Here is the menu for the event:
If you are interested in attending the event click HERE. Woodsmoke will be there to taste some great South African wine.
Cheers,
Sean, Founder Woodsmoke
A great company that I have been following lately is called charity: water. They are providing clean drinking water to millions of people around the world. What really sticks with me is that they give 100% of your donation to building wells; all their operational costs are funded by a private donor group. Clean drinking water is the number one cause of disease in third world countries. I love to see companies that are doing meaningful work and providing sustainable solutions for the poor – this is one of them. Here is a video about a company that really touched me:
The story of charity: water – The 2009 September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.
Cheers,
Sean, Founder Woodsmoke
Here is my speech from African Gathering Conference yesterday where I spoke about how Woodsmoke was started and how to use storytelling in your marketing through social media platforms.
African Gathering Speech Sean Coetzee from Sean Coetzee on Vimeo.
Sean Coetzee – Woodsmoke from Africa Gathering on Vimeo.
Cheers,
Sean, Founder Woodsmoke
Jambo! I have been getting many questions lately asking what my reasons for leaving Nebraska are and I am sorry if I have not explained it thoroughly. Woodsmoke is leaving Nebraska next Tuesday to move to San Diego and set up shop there. Our main reason for leaving is that business is moving out that way. Lincoln has been ABSOLUTELY amazing for us and I can’t tell you how thankful I am to Lincoln and its people for helping to get Woodsmoke off the ground.
I will honestly be telling people all day that Lincoln is an amazing place to start a business because it is inexpensive, and the people here support great ideas and good people. The community of Lincoln is the reason that Woodsmoke is able to take the next step and move to San Diego. Thank you very much! I will always be appreciative to Nebraska and its great people for being so good to me.
Most of Woodsmoke’s clients are currently in San Diego, a few of these include: Ritz Carlton Hotel, Hyatt Hotel & Spa, and Whole Foods. The market in San Diego is a lot bigger and with the way we are going I would like to be more interactive with my clients in San Diego which makes it a wise decision to move out there.
If you have any friends or family in San Diego I would love to meet them and watch some Husker games together. I would personally like to invite you to my leavers party at Firethorn Golf Club on Thursday 8th of April from 6 -10pm. Firethorn is a private club but has been kind enough to open up its clubhouse to the public for us. To find out more click here. I would love to say CHEERS to you before we head out to San Diego.
Cheers,
Sean, Founder Woodsmoke
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