Johannesburg — SA MIGHT be a young country, but it can hold its own when it comes to the vintage of some consumer and corporate brands, with Nederburg wine dating back to 1810 and Mrs Ball's Chutney to 1852.

Ken Preston, publisher of Brands & Branding: The Encyclopedia of Brands and Branding in SA for nearly two decades, decided to investigate the heritage of local brands after reading that international brands Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz were founded 124 years ago.

He found that of the 330 locally active brands he surveyed -- not all originating on SA -- 124 were more than 70 years old, and 70 were more than 100 years old. This was " an indication of the country's long involvement with brands and branding", he said last week.

The importance of brand longevity was summed up by Jeremy Sampson, chairman of Interbrand Sampson, branding and design consultants, in the book's latest edition. He said few people realised the effect brands had on their lives and, while many claimed to be "anti-brand", an inquiry into the "details of their private lives" showed a different reality.

"The challenge for many brands is to span as many decades as possible, by being adopted early and then staying relevant," Sampson said.

As his starting point Preston looked at the registration date of trademarks, which he viewed as the "founding date of what has today become a far more complex entity ".

Two of the brands registered as trademarks in the Cape in the 1800s are Henry White 's Red Heart Rum (1877) and Singer Sewing Machines (1880) .

"Some more truly South African brands with histories dating back to the turn of the last century include Barnettes, which is 113 years old; Barlows, which is 106 years old; All Gold, at 101 years old; and Ackermans, which is 93 years old ," Preston said.

These brands are entrenched in SA because they have been around for generations, he said.