Pieter de Waal isn’t your average winemaker. While rooted in South African soil, he and his wife Lohra have planted vines in the hills of Slovenia and turned their attention to tourism in the country, where they offer Nordic walking and cycling tours.
Pieter also co-owns a wine and a vacation property management business with his brother in Slovenia. Though they once ran a vineyard in Globoka, near Ljutomer, a devastating plant disease forced them to remove their vines in 2021. The family, though, still frequents their ‘vikend’ (vineyard cottage), which has become their base whenever they’re in the country.
With a life that blends business, family, and frequent travel across Europe, staying on top of international payments was a headache – until Shyft came to the rescue. Now, effortless euro transfers and smooth travel spending are part of their everyday routine, making their cross-border life a whole lot easier.
We caught up with Pieter to hear about his favourite travel spots, how Shyft helps keep their business running smoothly, and the dream adventure he’d take his loved ones on if he landed a surprise $1 000 wallet top-up.
Q: Let’s start with your travel map – where in the world do you find yourself most often, and why?
We mostly travel to Slovenia as we own property in Globoka, near Ljutomer. That said, we also travel extensively throughout Europe (France, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, and Austria) for business and pleasure.
Q: Do you remember how you first discovered Shyft and what stood out about it?
It was a bit more than five years ago when I needed to transfer money in euros from South Africa to a number of service providers that we use in Slovenia. Going through the usual channels would have been expensive and cumbersome.
Shyft offered a flat fee for doing the payments, and the exchange rate was competitive, so I opened a Shyft account and found it very user-friendly and efficient.
At the time, we were also importing wine from France and Italy, and I could easily pay our suppliers using the Shyft app.
Q: Which Shyft features have become your go-tos for your business and travels?
As we only make purchases and travel to Europe, we currently only use the euro card functionality.
I also sometimes transfer euros to my brother’s Shyft account, and the costs are extremely low – if I recall, it’s a free service.
Q: What difference has Shyft made to your journeys through Europe?
Travelling with the Shyft card is a pleasure. The card was accepted for payment everywhere we went, and I knew exactly what my purchases would cost, as the money had been transferred to the card at a specific, predetermined rate.
The app is also efficient, so I have no qualms about using it whenever necessary.
We may travel to the US and the UK in the future, so the ability to load multiple currencies onto the card is a potential benefit.
Q: Have you ever dabbled in Shyft’s investment features?
No, I haven’t. As a winemaker, most of my assets are in liquid form! I don’t really invest outside of our business, apart from things like retirement annuities.
With a teenage daughter, there aren’t many unallocated funds lying around, and I prefer to invest in her travels and education at this point.
But if I ever had money lying around, I would consider using Shyft to make investments on the platform.
Q: If you could wave a magic wand and add one new feature to the Shyft app, what would it be?
I would like to be able to park euros in the account and receive the same interest rate as I could get at other institutions (like Standard Bank Isle of Man, for example).
Q: If we topped up your Shyft wallet with $1 000 right now, where are you heading, and who’s coming with?
I would take my family and friends for a weekend excursion to Friuli in Italy and go for lunch at Osmiza Gabrovec Ivan in Prepotto. After that we would go for a cellar tour and wine tasting at Lenuzza Wines, which is owned by an Italian gentleman, Daniele Lenuzza, and his lovely South African wife, Tanika Paris. It’s a really wonderful place to visit with great wines and friendly people.
Interestingly, I met Tanika for the first time recently and figured out that we’re distantly related. Coincidentally, it was her aunt Paula Venter – my mother’s cousin – who opened our first bank account with Standard Bank more than two decades ago.
After touring Lenuzza Wines, we would stay at Casali Magnis wine farm and guest house with the somewhat eccentric owner and winemaker, Michele. We would listen to music on vinyl, which he pairs with his wines, eat prosciutto from San Daniele del Friuli and fresh local cheese.
If there were anything left, I would buy some wine from Lenuzza and Magnis to share with my wine friends back home and tell them about magical Cividale del Friuli and our area, Prlekija, in Slovenia.
If you’d like to Show us your Shyft, join the conversation by reaching out on our social channels. We’d love to hear how our all-in-one global money app helps you take your ambitions worldwide.
The views and opinions shared are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to serve as investment advice and do not represent the views or opinions of Standard Bank. This information should be used as a starting point for generating investment ideas and should not be relied upon as the basis for making investment decisions. The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited will not be responsible for the results of any investment decisions made based on the views provided.
