Copyright 2006: B. United International Inc., All rights reserved.
Grahamstown Brewery Pty (Ltd), trading as Makana Meadery was founded in the year 2000 with the primary objective of placing a 20 000 year old South African honey based beverage, iQhilika on the world's shelves.
Picture: The staff of Makana Meadery. [Photocredits to Dr. Jim Cambray]
Makana Meadery has its beginnings in a Rhodes University based research project to develop state of the art fermentation technology for producing iQhilika, an African mead. The meadery is housed in a historical Grahamstown landmark on the outskirts of this picturesque educational town in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Honey is a vital ingredient in the making of iQhilika and to match this demand the company has developed an extensive beekeeping programme. With the acquisition of a sawmill and the development of beekeeping training programmes, the company has also expanded its products and services to include: beekeeping products, beekeeping training and R & D development.
Makana iQhilika Meadery is an equitable, empowerment driven company. It is more than 50% owned and funded by previously disadvantaged individuals and is as such an Affirmative Business Enterprise.
The company was founded by Dr Garth Cambray, the late Dr Winston Leukes (1969 -2006) and Vuyani Ntantiso.
Mead is a simple and easy alcohol to make. All one has to do is mix honey and water and a little yeast and it ferments to mead. Hence, wherever there are lots of bees and people you tend to find bees.
