News
Leading Wine & Spirits Importer, Peter Morales, Awarded Prestigious Vision of Excellence Award From Rutgers University
01/17/06
U.S. Consulate General, Valli Moosa, presented the award at a celebration in South Africa on behalf of Rutgers University president, Richard L. McCormick 
Garden City, NY (November 29, 2005) – At a ceremony held at Amstelhof Primary School in Paarl, South Africa, Peter Morales, President and CEO of 57 Main Street Imports, received the prestigious Rutgers University Vision of Excellence Award. The award was presented in recognition of Morales’ contribution to educational and social advancement in the agricultural communities of South Africa’s Western Cape wine region. 
Morales’ Vision 57 program was founded to reinvest a 5% portion of the proceeds from his wine import business back into Cape schools that exists on grape farms in South Africa. To date, these beneficiary schools include Amstelhof Primary School, Groote Post Grammar School, and Bergendal Primary. Morales has spearheaded a number of initiatives to foster educational advancement and opportunity for young South Africans from previously disadvantaged families, including collaborations with Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and GAR Products as part of the Vision 57 Adopt-a-School program. His work with Rutgers has facilitated a teacher exchange program, where best practices are exchanged and employed on both sides of the Atlantic. GAR products, a New Jersey-based furniture company made a generous donation of a container of chairs and tables for use in classrooms of beneficiary schools. Through the Wine-for-Literacy program, shipping containers used to import South African wines into the U.S. are returned to South Africa’s Cape Winelands filled with books, furniture and other educational materials.
Rutgers President Richard McCormick noted “I have the deepest admiration for the generous support Peter has given to the good work of our Graduate School of Education in South Africa.”
Morales has made significant strides in the wine and spirits industry. In addition to successfully assembling an award-winning portfolio of international wines and spirits, he also holds the distinction of being one of few minorities heading a major wine and spirits company. He was among the first corps of American businesses to collaborate with South Africa after U.S. sanctions were lifted. Recent highlights at 57 Main Street include winning exclusive rights to import wines from Vergelegen, the top boutique estate wine producer in South Africa owned by the luxury brands & mining giant Anglo American Corporation, whose portfolio includes Anglo Gold, Anglo Platinum and De Beers Diamonds.
Caribbean born Morales has truly dedicated his company to the cause of making a difference. His Vision 57 program is a testament to the personal responsibility he heeds to positively impact the lives of others both in the USA and around the world. “As an American, I believe it is our corporate responsibility to reinvest in the global communities with which we trade,” said Morales. “As our portfolio continues to diversify, we look forward to expanding our Vision 57 Program to our other regions.”