South Africa: Ancient brew has Eastern Cape buzzing with employment opportunities (Various Sources)
Date Posted: February 11th, 2008
Garth Cambray stares attentively into the tiny window of a two-storey stainless steel processor. The device is his own creation – a machine that produces mead, or honey wine, on a large scale. He is looking for any imperfections in the process.Inside his invention, an ancient recipe is brewing. A mixture of honey and water slowly seeps through local herbs and spices. The process infuses flavour and creates alcohol. At the bottom of the processor, as many as 300 bottles of golden liquid flow through each day.
Dr. Cambray is the co-founder of Makana Meadery in Grahamstown, South Africa. His large-scale mead fermentor is a patented technology. His company’s brew has put Grahamstown on the global mead map. It has also created employment for hundreds of people in the Eastern Cape province.
Dr. Cambray developed an interest in bees as a doctoral student at Rhodes University. It was during this time that he was introduced to the local variety of mead, called iQhilika, which has been brewed by the Xhosa people for centuries.
His mission became to invent a machine that could recreate the ancient iQhilika brewing process – only faster. The experiment was a success, and soon after Dr. Cambray graduated, Makana Meadery was born.
By bringing the iQhilika brew into the 21st century, Dr. Cambray opened it up to the outside world. Makana Meadery now sends three large shipments a year to the United States. And its herbal mead, derived from the traditional Xhosa recipe, has twice won top honours at the International Mead Festival.
With the meadery’s success has come a large demand for honey. And this is perhaps the greatest benefit to the Eastern Cape’s economy.
Makana Meadery has trained more than 200 people in beekeeping. It offers two courses – one to help entrepreneurs get started in small-scale production, and another to help them expand their operations.
Dr. Cambray has also developed techniques to reduce the cost of beekeeping. A honey extractor is usually the most expensive piece of equipment a beekeeper must buy. But Dr. Cambray has created a low-cost version from a bicycle wheel. The meadery even began producing low-cost beehives and frames out of local pine.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
[...] http://weekly.farmradio.org/2008/02/11/south-africa-ancient-brew-has-eastern-cape-buzzing-wi…A honey extractor is usually the most expensive piece of equipment a beekeeper must buy. But Dr. Cambray has created a low-cost version from a bicycle wheel. The meadery even began producing low-cost beehives and frames out of local … [...]
March 16th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
[...] http://weekly.farmradio.org/2008/02/11/south-africa-ancient-brew-has-eastern-cape-buzzing-wi…A honey extractor is usually the most expensive piece of equipment a beekeeper must buy. But Dr. Cambray has created a low-cost version from a bicycle wheel. The meadery even MasterCard Credit Card began producing low-cost beehives and frames out of local … [...]
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:21 am
Dear Friends,
I live in Manica Town nearing the border with Zimbabwe, in Mozambique. I am the president of an Association that is invloved in the embetterment of the people living in the rural areas in the Province of Manica. The Association I represent is called Kwaedza Simukai Manica and exists since the year 2000.
This association due to its fairness and transparency in its modus operandi has been awarded a contract to bring development into a region called Chimanimani. From the research done, it was found that the region has great potencial when approaching honey and other products, including wax and propolis. This is a natural resource that is found in plentifull within the region and other neighbouring areas, including the Gorongosa National Park.
We need to train the local inhabitants in sustainable techniques to extarct honey, wax and propolis, for we are looking for experts in this activity, who could be hired to carry out and extensive training programme here in Mozambique.
The aim of this would be to provide adequate training to the beneficiaries as to allow them to export honey, bee wax and propolis. If your organization knows of some entity that provides this kind of service we would appreciate it and would be very thankful indeed if you could put us in touch with them.
Sincerely yours
Luis Rodrigues
President – Associacao Kwaedza Simukai Manica
November 24th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
[...] New Mexico Beekeepers Association » Blog Archive » Beekeeping Seminar was a SuccessDealing With Varroa Mites In Warre Beehives « The Bee Space Top Bar Hive Beekeeping The Grove Project » Azalea Queens? Farm Radio Weekly » Farm Radio Weekly Archive » South Africa: Ancient brew has Eastern C… [...]
March 29th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
[...] -“South Africa: Ancient brew has Eastern Cape buzzing with employment opportunities” (FRW #10, February 2008) -“Rwanda: 5,000 farmers contracted to grow maize for beer” (FRW #12, February 2008) [...]