Luxury in the heart of sustainability

Though a global citizen, Vogel is mostly based in the Netherlands. With over 25 years of experience in the financial markets industry and over 11 years in Real Estate, he holds a wealth of experience in financial global markets. One of his passions is conservation and sustainability. This passion resulted in him contributing towards conservation in South Africa. His passion led him to Welgevonden Game Reserve, where he found Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa. Vogel is also the Board Chairman of The MF Foundation which was founded in November 2008.“We aim to contribute to a better world in the broadest sense of the word. With our MF Foundation we try to contribute to various

AFRICAN WARRIOR FRANK VOGEL is an accomplished Investor, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. Vogel is the owner of Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa located in Welgevonden Game Reserve. initiatives, ranging from supporting local people to supporting those who are mentally and/or physically challenged. Giving financial support to projects worldwide, we try to help where we can and are needed,” Vogel explains. Tribe Business Magazine Editor in Chief sat down with Vogel to speak about one of his passions which is conservation at his Mhondoro Safari Game Lodge and Villa.

Can you please give me a brief background of your work in sustainability and conservation, where did it start and where are you now?

It started around the year 2000, that was the first time I had visited South Africa together with my wife, Vogel. We first started in Cape Town and went on a tour in some parts of Africa, Rovos Rail and also the private parks around Kruger National Park. We did a ranger course which was effectively like a tented camp and we came to the conclusion that we really loved being in Africa so much that we have spent multiple holidays in South Africa, Tanzania, and Botswana. We have participated in mobile safaris and also visited Namibia. Then at one particular moment we were introduced to Welgevonden Game Reserve, which used to be farming land many years ago, and is now a beautiful malaria-free private Big 5 game reserve. While driving through this amazing area, we heard about this lodge in the centre of the reserve, being for saleWe only had one more hour to spare, so we decided to have a quick sneak peak of the lodge, which was for sale. Standing on the deck of Mhondoro, looking out over the waterhole, our hearts melted. We were breathless. This place stole our hearts immediately. And we made an offer on the spot. The end result; owning a beautiful lodge in South Africa, while living in the Netherlands.In 2013 we decided to upgrade the lodge and its facilities, as the original deco was very traditional. We wanted the lodge to be a little bit more modern, a mix between European and South African chic. Unfortunately we had a big fire in 2013, which destroyed the complete main-lodge and kitchen area. So we were forced to close down for two years. During this period, we also looked into alternative ways to be more sustainable. We invested in a solar farm and a water purification system, supplying good quality drinking water. As a result, we managed to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles all together, making us more sustainable and contributing towards the environment positively. We also wanted the pools to be as environmentally friendly as possible; so instead of using chlorine, we decided on saline salt water pools. In our journey towards sustainability, we realised that the elephants of Welgevonden also shared our visions and became regular visitors of our salt water pools; which led to the creation of #PoolEllie. We have a waste water purification plant in front of the lodge where we reutilise the grey water of the lodge, for the gardens and lawns. As things go, we realised we can do more in terms of sustainability. This lead to the acquisition of two farms adjacent to Welgevonden where we practise organic farming techniques growing as much natural produce the area can allow, taking into account the multitude of naturals threats the likes of Leopard, hyena and even insects pose.

How has Mhondoro managed to keep the business sustainable and moving forward during the Covid-19 pandemic?

When tourism came to a very sudden and abrupt halt during March 2020; we realised that becoming sustainable, had now become more essential than ever before. Throw into the mix the livelihood of staff and avoiding the chain reaction of staff being laid off, you are faced with an interesting problem to solve. We did this by focussing on 3 things. Social media, organic farming and renovations of the lodge. Just prior to the hard lockdown we had our marketing colleagues from Italy over, who were subsequently locked down in South Africa at Mhondoro. Not being able to conduct any tourism activities what so ever, and with time on our hands, we were able to really focus and strategise on marketing and social media. Due to this it formed the basis of our long term marketing strategy and high occupancy. We wanted to avoid at all costs, laying staff off. So we immediately started to up-skill and educate staff, on organic farming. Producing food was an essential service; through that we could also supply food to the local community and extended family of staff members who mostly lost their jobs during the lockdown. Not only did we up-skill and educate our staff on farming, but we also managed to re-work our marketing, social media, content creation, and even building and renovations. Long before lockdown we had plans to do renovations to the lodge, as well as an upgrade to the solar plant. When announcements of the lockdown were made, we quickly pushed the renovation plans forward. We managed to get all the building supplies, equipment etc, into the reserve, literally the day before the hard lockdown started. What we initially thought was going to be a three week lockdown, turned out to be a three month lockdown, so we had plenty of time to complete our renovations. We also upgraded our solar plant during this time. In June 2020 we turned off Eskom completely, and since then Mhondoro is completely off the grid.

How do you feel about community development and empowering the under privileged? I know you have got the Eco farm as you mentioned and a Ranger school that you are going to be opening soon?

There are several things that we are focusing on for the coming period that have and will have an impact on the local community. Not only for our own benefit but also forthe benefit of the whole reserve. As for the Eco farm, we have several locals working for us (local farmers and gardeners). At this moment we have approximately 20 people working on a daily basis at the Eco farm. We do not anticipate that it is going to be lower. We were already producing food in the Covid-19 period and all the food was affected because the lodge was empty. We did not have a use for all the produce that we had so during that period we went to the local community and gave that food to the people who were jobless and couldn’t afford vegetables. We also employ people which aids towards job creation, while also supporting some of our local charities. Welgevonden is connected to many charities that serve the local community. I want to see what we can do more in order to help them as we were one of the first supporters of their activities. We have a local school at the lodge itself providing schooling to our employees’ kids. A lot of lodges in our industry do not allow children but we do allow children because they are the basis of society and the future of everything that we have. We have 7 kids enrolled already. It’s a multi-racial group of kids and some of them couldn’t speak English, so we had to teach them as everything is based on an accredited scholar system. We are planning to open up a normal private school on one of the adjacent farms. Part of the planning is to give scholarships to local children in order to make certain they also benefit from it. It is a great joy to see these kids playing and learning about nature, wildlife, conservation, English and a multitude of other subjects. We are also in contact with accredited ranger institutions that are already giving courses in South Africa. We hope to allocate a group of people from the local community to give them an education in guiding, through sponsorships, with the possibility to work in Welgevoden Game Reserve.

I understand that the new lodge will have star beds as an addition. Can you tell us a bit more about this development?

The idea came from a trip I had been on with my wife and we were in what is called a Star bed. It was actually a tent on stilts. You could push the bed outside of the tent and just sleep under the stars. Sleeping in an environment like this, where you could hear a lion roar was an experience which will stay with me forever. It inspired us to create something similar in Welgevonden, as an extension of our Mhondoro family. We are going to build guest suites on stilts with a deck and a private plunge pool. A window in the ceiling will allow you to watch the Stars in the winter and summer times. A roll-out bed will add to this amazing experience.

What do you feel the presence of Mhondoro Safari lodge has benefitted the local game reserve? What makes Mhondoro different to the rest?

Mhondoro has many unique facilities like an underground photographic hide, connected to the main lodge overlooking the waterhole. There is a stargazing deck with Telescopes, a Spa, Gym, infra-red Sauna, School and Ecofarm. Being off grid, and being one of the very few lodges in the area which is completely family friendly, with a wide variety of activities also sets us apart. Besides the above mentioned, we also have an invaluable and incredible team. We have an incredible passion for beautiful décor which leans towards an African chic style of building and the overall Safari experience. My wife, Myriam, an interior designer, has a particular eye for decoration and finding the perfect pieces of décor. I love to also give my opinion on all things. So in that way we created all of this together.The lodge gives you an African feeling but it also has a lot of European influence, while still making sure that 99% of everything we have here is bought in South Africa. Something which I think is very important is that we have combined Europe with South Africa with its base in South Africa. That’s what you see here. It’s bright, light, warm and luxurious, where you feel at home from the first moment. Mhondoro is not just a business but a personal passion that we see as a home away from home. I think you can say that you will arrive as a guest and leave as a friend.

How do you go about recruiting the right people that fit in with your ethos, beliefs and that you feel can represent your ideology even in your absence?

Definitely a lot of talking and meetings with the CEO of the Lodge and his wife. Normally owners do not get involved. They leave it up to management to manage the property and that’s it. We are not like that because we have very high standards. Those high standards can be a challenge to follow up. I do feel for them every now and then because we ask impossible things. However, what would have initially seemed impossible actually ends up being implemented. They understand why we like to maintain these high standards. We choose the right people who enjoy taking our passion further even without our constant presence. There are certain things we will never compromise on; great food, amazing safari/guiding experience, and impeccably clean rooms. Therefore we only pick the best guides, chefs and general staff members. We have actually been very good at keeping our staff for longer periods. For example our CEO and his wife have been working with us for nearly 6 years, and several of our housekeeping and maintenance staff, have been with us since Mhondoro re-opened in 2015. This is unusual in the lodge industry, but not impossible. That’s what we try to do, we try to relate a message and work with each other as a family.

Is your aim to have everything that is consumed here farmed here making the business self-sustainable in terms of that?

Firstly, I can’t start a wine farm and wine is a very important portion of what we serve here. We have very good wine but that is something we need to buy. We will try from a fruit and vegetable perspective and have as much as possible however, not everything is possible. We are going to have our own Cattle, Chicken and Eggs. We are also going to have our own Sheep, so Lamb will be there, also Impala, Springbok, and Kudu. Milk and cheese is something we will buy. I would love to have our own Cheese-maker and there are quite a few Dutch Cheese-makers in South Africa. They will never be able to completely replicate the Cheeses that we have in the Netherlands but what they produce is good enough. I would rather have the cheeses from the local community if we can’t produce it ourselves. That’s what we are trying to do and so far that is working.

What would you consider as your biggest achievement to date and what do you feel stands out besides the actual lodge that is standing, what element would you say is a big achievement for Mhondoro Safari lodge lately?

It’s a difficult question because I’m not particularly proud of anything specifically, I’m proud in general of everything that we have achieved. I’m proud of the people that work with us and for us, that are willing to deal with our different behaviours. They are capable and always standing with a big smile on their faces when you arrive because they are so happy to see you. I’m proud of the buildings that we have constructed here because we have done a lot of building here. I’m proud of the impact that we personally also have in Welgevonden in general. I am part of the board, of Welgevonden, and I’m actually proud of being part of that board. The people that are on the board are doing all this without remuneration and we have 68 members with 68 different opinions which is something we have to deal with and so far we are doing a good job. I am proud of the whole environment here, Welgevonden is by far the most beautiful reserve I have ever seen and I have seen quite a lot. I’m proud of what we have started which was something that we did in 2009. We started the rebuilding after the fire in 2013 together with Jasper Bruinsma who was our manager at that particular moment. We came up with a game introduction program in order to get Welgevonden out of the fire pit and out of a lot of other pits. I can say that Welgevonden was originally known for the place that you didn’t see that much and now it is the place where you see everything. If I look out the window at this particular moment I can see a White Rhino, Zebra, Kudu and I see a Warthog. If I look further I will see even more. I am proud of that.

What are your thoughts on business in Africa, there is always the perception that business in Africa is seen as impossible, what’s your opinion as someone who is not based in South Africa full time?

South Africa has transitioned from Apartheid to Democracy. Every year the country is taking steps forward. Corruption is unpleasant in South Africa and it is slowly but steadily being removed from the day to day system. I think we can definitely be proud of where we are because normally this takes 5 – 6 generations and we are getting there before that. This makes South Africa special. At Mhondoro we have a very local market which is very good for us because it saved us as well during the pandemic. I like the feeling of cooperation that you can get here in this country, it’s absolutely perfect. Everybody’s aiming to make South Africa better and to make some honest money. That’s what we are all trying to do, and I think that is very important. The mentality of South Africa is slowly but steadily changing and I think we all need to come to the conclusion that we need to work with each other and live with each other to ensure everything works.