“It is a great honour, not only for myself, but it is something I feel very proud of (on behalf of) every black woman,” says the 35-year-old Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, the first black female to own a brewery in South Africa.
In an interview with Food For Mzansi’s podcast called Farmer’s Inside Track, Nxusani-Mawela says growing up in a rural Eastern Cape village, she could never imagine that one day she would also become the first black African to obtain a master brewer qualification from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.
“Our industry is very male-dominated and to have women, like myself, being involved and seeing many other women… I mean, there’s so many other women that are coming after me, (not forgetting) those who have been there who have tried to open up the path so that I could be the first. I do hope that I’m not just the first and the only. I wish for the day that it is the norm where we can celebrate the brewer and not just (being) a female.”
Latest AMT Fresh Produce Outlook
Besides Nxusani-Mawela, Food For Mzansi also catches up with Thapelo Phiri Jr., director of an agribusiness that helps farmers improve soil fertility and mitigate the effects of climate change. The organic fertiliser specialist from Jozi says a recent Food For Mzansi article made the world of difference in his career, leading to much greater engagements with the farming community.
In the latest AMT Fresh Produce Outlook, agricultural economist Dr Johnny van der Merwe highlights significant prices movements in the local fruit and vegetable markets. This includes, among others, a week-on-week increase of 13% for the price of a 10kg bag of potatoes (now at R37,88), and a 19% increase in the tomato price (now at R7,08 per kilogram). There has also been a surge in the carrot price, while onion price remained constant, although limited demand might push the price downward in the next few days.
Farmers’ choice for book of the week
Farmer’s Inside Track members chose Betting on a Darkie: Lifting the Corporate Game as their book of the week. Authored by Mteto Nyati, one of Mzansi’s top CEOs, it will be equally valuable to farmers and agripreneurs who are trying to break into the world of commercial agriculture. “If you want to take the system down, provide a better alternative at least,” says Nyati, who knew from his days as a Mthatha schoolboy that he wanted to fix and build things.
Other episode 32 highlights include a preview of “Thandi and Captain Stay Safe”, our new covid-19 children’s podcast story – a first for South Africa. It is sure to help kids deal with growing anxiety about the virus that brought the world to a standstill.
