The Best in Fresh, Food Lover’s Market, will be feeding and fuelling FNB Wines2Whales riders in 2023 and beyond thanks to the renewal of the relationship between South Africa’s only family-owned supermarket and the race with Serious Gees.
After building up a serious appetite on the trails, teams participating in FNB Wines2Whales, from 2023 onwards, will be refuelled once more by Food Lover’s Market. Riders can not only expect excellent fresh produce, including world-class fruits, but will also have their caffeine fixes satiated by Seattle Coffee Co. Working with the event’s catering team, primarily at Oak Valley Estate, the Food Lover’s Market ingredients will be used in the creation of every delicious meal riders enjoy throughout the each of the three-day events.
Founded in 1993, the chain of supermarkets evolved from Fruit & Veg City to Food Lover’s Market and continues to be the only family-owned supermarket group in the country. Boasting over 100 stores across South Africa the group also includes more than 350 FreshStop outlets in Caltex garages and a growing number of Market Liquor bottle stores. For mountain bikers, it is the partnership with Seattle Coffee Co which is of particular note, especially for kick-starting the early mornings at the FNB W2W.
“We are looking forward to renewing our relationship with Food Lover’s Market,” Hendrico Burger, Race Director of FNB Wines2Whales said. “Their commitment to quality will ensure that every meal served throughout the 2023 Chardonnay, Pinotage and Shiraz Switchback events is not only tasty, but also nutritious. An added bonus for us, which certainly helps ease the working relationship, is that so many members of the Food Lover’s Market executive team cycle. They therefore have personal experience of what is required by mountain bikers at races and are eager to help us improve the rider offerings with innovative ideas riders will really appreciate.”
“Rekindling the partnership with FNB Wines2Whales is about more than just commercial ties and brand building,” Dane Coppin, Food Lover’s Market Managing Executive for retail noted, “Active people in general, and mountain bikers in particular, are great customers of ours. We are excited to showcase the incredible fresh products they can expect to see on the shelves of their nearest Food Lover’s Market store.”
“Our franchisees and members of the management team are also looking forward to getting out on the trails and sharing in the Serious Gees of FNB W2W,” Coppin added. “It’s a great way to spend time together in a relaxed environment, and I’m sure we’ll come up with some fantastic ideas to take into 2024 while out on the bike in the beauty of the Hemel en Aarde Valley, Elgin and Lourensford. The race is also a great way to connect with clients, so please feel free to chat with any of our teams in the Food Lover’s Market kit.”
“Sharing stories from the trails over a Seattle Coffee in the morning or a beer in the afternoon is definitely part of the fun!” he concluded.
The 2023 FNB Wines2Whales is fully subscribed, with entries having sold out on the 26th of September. The first event in the series, the Chardonnay, gets underway from Curro School in Hermanus on Friday 20 October. Featuring the elite women’s race the Chardonnay is set to be a celebration of women’s mountain biking. It is followed by the mid-week Pinotage event, complete with its eBike racing category, and the Shiraz race which hosts the elite men’s competition.