North West beekeeper breaking boundaries

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Beekeeper and honey maker Metsana Kojane from Mahikeng in the North West has broken all boundaries to enter the alcoholic beverages market. Kojane has gone from producing honey to distilling gin and brewing mead derived from age old techniques to make the Setswana delicacy better known as ‘Khadi ya Mamepe’.

“My grandmother kept bees and she passed on the skills from generation to generation and then I always say to people bees found me. They called me back. The year 2015, my humble beginnings, that’s when I decided to pursue beekeeping as a business. So, we grew our apiary from five beehives, now we have hundreds of bee hives,” says founder of Eden Roots Metsana Kojane.

Then the COVID- 19 pandemic struck and necessity became the mother of invention.

“You know during lockdown we were all thirsty for something to enjoy with our friends and then one day I had a very interesting conversation with one of my neighbours who makes Khadi. So she told me that there is an alcoholic beverage, Khadi, that is made using honey. Then I started researching and I realised that this drink is even older than red wine,” Kojane explains.

And it seems there was only one way to go from there. “One thing led to another and we improved and here we are today presenting to you our beautiful mead that comes in three variations. We have our sunflower blossom, fynbos blossom, and the gluehwein that is more of a spice version and every ingredient that goes in here is organic and is certified and our product is licenced and ready for the shelves and also ready for export.”

Kojane hopes that this will inspire more women like her.

“There are so many women out there in my village and elsewhere throughout South Africa who brew the same Khadi. But they are stuck at the same place. I think we need to dream beyond where we find ourselves.”

The honey beverages have now become a hit among locals: