Through her innovation and leadership, Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela is changing the brewing industry in South Africa. She’s the owner of Tolokazi, a community oriented, colorful microbrewery located in Wynberg, Johannesburg. Nxusani-Mawela is the first Black craft brew owner in the country, whose success continues to inspire many. She unites her love for brewing with a deep mission for equipping young Black graduates, women in particular, to thrive. Her journey to launch first started all the way back in 2007 when she began brewing as an amateur. Now, she’s on a crusade to enable other people to express themselves through the craft of beer.
Nxusani-Mawela has a degree in microbiology, which she says is a perfect background for any future brewer. She stresses that brewing is an art, but mainly a science. “Just like when you are brewing you have to pay attention to your mixture,” she explains. It’s this painstaking process that allows her to craft distinctive beers that honor her African heritage, while incorporating modern brewing practices into her carefully articulated vision.
At Tolokazi, Nxusani-Mawela produces a flagship beer range that brings out uniquely African flavors. She incorporates stunning ingredients like marula fruit and rooibos, an herb indigenous to South Africa. Her flagship brew fuses classic Umqombothi, a sweet and sour local African beer, with the Belgian Saison style. This powerful mix is a constant hit with all types of consumers. For Nxusani-Mawela, brewing the beer is an artform. She passionately pursues that elusive sweet spot between the sugar and the grumpy pants grains.
As their microbrewery grew, it became more than just a business. It served as a space where patrons could be educated and inspired. Nxusani-Mawela not only brews beer, but she trains young women on how to brew, working against patriarchal sexism ingrained with the brewing process. She dreams of a day when there are more Black people and women like her, joining South Africa’s beer-brewing industry.
Lethabo Seipei Kekae, one of her students, reflects on her experience at Tolokazi: “It’s so smooth. Even if you are not a beer drinker, you can drink it.” Nxusani-Mawela has an incredible track record of creating accessible but eclectic flavor profiles. These bold flavors excite gold medalists and first timers too.
And even though running operations in predominately male industry has its challenges, Nxusani-Mawela is not letting that deter her. She finds herself regularly asking how brewing got so male-dominated and is committed to rewriting that script. “And how it got male dominated, I don’t know,” says fellow brewer Makhethe. She continues, “I prefer to put it that way, that we as women, we are returning back to our roots, back to doing what we begin.” This point of view further reinforces that women have historically been at the heart of brewing. They can take back their deserved space in this male-dominated industry.
Nxusani-Mawela’s commitment goes beyond her brewery. She is a highly esteemed international beer judge and taster. Her deeply honed expertise gives authority to her creative work while making her a more effective facilitator of that expertise. She mentors and teaches others in the field. By sharing her knowledge and experience, she strives to inspire the next generation of brewers to embrace their heritage while innovating within the craft.
Now, at 41 years old and a mother of two boisterous young boys, Nxusani-Mawela is a work in progress. She is professionally ambitious, yet present and grounded in home life. She leads with an abundant spirit of resilience and unshakable resolve that have informed her journey as a brewer and woman. Her story teaches us that all it takes is a strong work ethic and commitment to succeed, even if you’re a young woman up against great odds.
Umqombothi is our African way, and everybody needs to know how to brew it, but we don’t,” Nxusani-Mawela declares fiercely. Her mission is clear: to educate others about traditional brewing methods while integrating modern practices. Her work at Tolokazi allows her to continue to develop an inclusive community of brewers. Her outreach efforts make sure that they are able to continue building on this diverse cultural tradition.
