This month our interview is with Frederick King, Vineyard Foreman and Christo’s right-hand man. Frederick has been part of the Oldenburg Vineyards team for nearly two years now. Frederick tells us he really enjoys working with Christo, appreciating learning new ways of working from him daily, especially with regards to new techniques and practices applied in the vineyards.
A typical work week for Frederick starts on Monday morning with a drive around the farm with Christo, evaluating what needs to be done, identifying specific tasks and areas of focus, which are then put into his weekly plan. Every morning, he gathers the vineyard team together to chat about the day’s tasks and briefs everyone on their respective jobs.
On working with the team, Frederick has a simple but effective philosophy: you have to keep the team happy. He believes to produce good work you must be passionate about what you’re doing. Using himself as an example, he shares how he was a general worker when he started his career, and while he was happy in his position, he wanted to find a way to grow into new opportunities.
He honed his skills working with different types of machinery and developed a better understanding of their various applications – from tractors in harvest to the machines used in spraying the vineyards. With this knowledge came a love for the work he does – something he believes is essential for success.
Frederick has always fostered a love for vineyards. After school, he briefly worked in the gardening side of the industry but moved to vineyard work, where he found his passion for the vines. Here at Oldenburg, he says it feels like a family, where everyone shares his love for the vineyards. Thank you, Frederick, for your commitment to and love for our vineyards.
