Sechaba launches new traditional brew

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Tuesday June 28, 2011 00:00

 

Speaking at the launch at Botswanacraft Marketing last week, the General Manager of Botswana Breweries, Thomas Mpedi, said his company prided itself in the art of brewing. 'Our speciality is traditional beverages, as you know of Chibuku and Mageu products,' Mpedi said.

'For the longest time, we have been known to consistently deliver on the promise of facilitating adult social enjoyment through the Chibuku brand because we believe that our beer adds to the enjoyment of life for the overwhelming majority of our consumers.

'On the same token, and stemming from the same principle, Botswana Breweries (Pty) Ltd is elated that we continue to show innovation in terms of new product development, given that we have just hatched a new formulation that we should be able to celebrate as a local brand offering, Phafana.'

He said a market research analysis had indicated that a segment of the alcohol drinking population desired a local product offering rich traditions and origins of Batswana. 'The decision to conceive Phafana was borne out of this market need to have a homebrew descriptive of Batswana, but mostly importantly anchored in their roots and heritage,' Mpedi said.

Botswana Breweries has developed Phafana according to the old traditions, preserving its taste and colour, and significantly its legacy of enjoyment. 'Beyond the excitement of this new product, we are glad that Phafana will also serve an important strategic decision of having a diversified product portfolio, which offers us and our different stakeholders like shareholders a more sustainable business model,' said Mpedi. 'Our quest is to have business that is anchored on a multi-beverage or product portfolio that gives our consumers as many choices as possible of a differentiated offering targeted at different taste preferences in our market.'

Other interesting elements about Phafana include its uniqueness as a product developed from a cultural heritage point of view. 'Phafana, as we all know, is not a new word,' Mpedi said. 'Phafana was brewed by our mothers and those before them. There are only a few who can still take a shot at brewing Phafana today and with their passing, Phafana is on the verge of being no more.

'Phafana, like any traditional brew, was brewed with a rare skill that unfortunately is not being passed on to the current generation, or put differently, is a skill that the current generation is probably not keen on learning. This presents a gloomy picture for the continued existence of Phafana as we know it.

'As a modern brewer at Botswana Breweries (Pty) Ltd, we have stepped in and are saying that we will preserve this heritage. We are taking the baton from these legendary brewers so that we can preserve this product for the current generation and many generations to come.

'We are saying that after our lifetime, those after us will have this opportunity to take a sip of what our mothers and those before them left for us. Similarly, we would like to preserve this humble pint of Phafana for upcoming generations.

'This is how our culture can evolve and become relevant with time. This is how we can tell our story to visitors in how Phafana brings people together in communion.'

Mpedi said the development of Phafana offered far greater opportunities for many of their stakeholders, among them farmers. 'We have come a long way producing and drinking beer as Batswana,' he said. 'By the same token, we believe that a healthy, growing economic environment in the communities where we operate is the key to achieving business success.

'It is, therefore, in our interest to invest capital in local economies, to use small enterprises to supply and distribute our products and to create jobs for local people and develop their skills. This is how conscious of every new development we are when we seek new opportunities.' He said the development of Phafana was made with a deliberate decision to source inputs like sorghum locally.