Mfuleni’s homemade beer brewer

Now Qebeyi has a thriving small business. Every day, she brews traditional beer from her home and attracts residents from all over Mfuleni. She has become well known across the township.

Qebeyi learned to brew beer from her mother, who often made beer for their local community during traditional ceremonies when they lived in a village in Centani, Eastern Cape. Her mother never started a business, but Qebeyi saw beer brewing as an opportunity to support her family.

Brewing the beer is a multi-day process. First, Qebeyi mixes maize, king corn, and flour and water into a large container and lets it sit overnight to ferment. The next day, she boils the mixture over a wood fire, allowing the beer to turn to a porridge-like consistency with a slightly smoky taste. She then cools the mixture, adds more king corn, and allows it to sit overnight again.

The next morning, she filters the fresh beer from the solid corn mixture, manually squeezing the liquid out from the solid residue, and transfers it to storage containers where it’s ready to be served.

Customers come to Qebeyi’s home for the fresh beer on all days of the week. Many people sit in her kitchen to chat and hang out while drinking beer, while others bring a container to buy it to take away. For those who stay, the beer is served in a metal pail, which can be passed around and shared amongst friends. Business is particularly busy on weekends, and customers often stay for several hours at a time to socialize.

For Qebeyi, starting her own business has brought a sense of gratification. “I enjoy providing African beer to the community, and people keep coming.”