Nyathi introduces baobab flavour

Own Correspondent

FOURTEEN months after commissioning its new plant in Stapleford, north of Harare, The Buffalo Brewing Company (TBBC) has introduced its first flavoured variant into the market.

Made with natural baobab pulp, the new baobab-flavoured sorghum beer hit the shelves this past week and was “an immediate hit with the consumer”, according to commercial executive Mr Steven Mushanyuki.

He said: “From the start, we always had the new flavour in mind, and we are delighted with the taste profile we have achieved.”

“The beer has the same smoothness as the Nyathi regular sorghum beer variant, with the added unique rich tartness of the baobab fruit forming a complex yet balanced bite that literally dances across your tongue,” says head of brewing Ms Mutsai Mutasa, who suggested that “you will only understand this once you have your first sip”.

The sorghum beer market has until recently been largely devoid of any product innovation, and since TBBC’s introduction of Nyathi as the up-and-coming premium sorghum beer brand, a number of flavours have entered the market.

TBBC has focused on staying true to its mantra of producing great traditional beers using natural ingredients to create unique flavours.

“We have some very interesting ideas for the future, which we can’t wait to share with our consumers,” said Ms Mutasa.

In less than two years, TBBC moved from a concept to a full-scale brewery, giving birth to the Nyathi brand.

Over the past year, the brand has positioned itself across the entire country, with the beer being available in every major wholesale outlet, retail shop and over 3 000 bars countrywide.

Managing director Mr Richard Mann believes Nyathi is yet to reach 50 percent of the bar and bottle store market, and the focus is to build on this customer base throughout 2024.

“Everybody deserves to have access to a cold beer at the end of a long day and we are intent on making this happen. We will achieve this by supporting our customers with countrywide, door-to-door distribution and branded coolers to provide that well-earned cold Nyathi,” he said.

Asked what the highlights of the past 14 months have been for him, Mr Mann said: “We have come from very humble beginnings, a small team, but with huge self-belief, we have built a brand that can stand on its own, the smoothest beer on the market, I’m touched by the passion of the team. Our people are very, very proud of their company and their brand”.

“I guess the highlight has been the journey, and this is just the beginning,” he added.