Business
Ndumiso Madlala opens South Africa’s first black-owned brewery
The early reviews of his main lager – and of a seasonal cherry-flavored brew – are positive. One beer drinker says he will not “drink another beer except this. It’s the way to go.”
Madlala says he struggled for 3 years to find investors. Many worried about giving him money for the brewery, fearing Soweto Gold would be crushed by the big beer makers. But he was determined, and finally convinced some external investors to help him launch his company. He says he never gave up on his dream.
“I have gone from door to door with investors,” he said. “Some do not want to listen, and people just throwing the idea out, but I never gave up. I kept the spirit up and kept moving, and look where I am today. So, whatever you do or whatever your passion is, never ever give up on your dream, no matter how difficult it is.”
Madlala plans to hire 150 workers, exclusively from Soweto, by the end of January. His small brewery will produce about 3 million liters of beer a year.
Madlala’s father says the beer is different than others. And he hopes his son’s success will help people in the community.
“First, I want him to uplift his family,” he said. “Then, if he does well, he can also uplift the community where he was born.”
The brewmaster of Soweto Gold says if this beer catches on in South Africa he hopes to eventually sell it internationally.
Source: VoA News
