In 2016, Zwakala Brewery began on a farm in the middle of nowhere.
There was no polished business plan, no perfect brewery waiting to be switched on. Just an idea, a handful of determined people, and a belief that great beer could be brewed in the mountains of Magoebaskloof.
Looking back now, it's hard to believe how much has happened in ten years.
One of our earliest memories was installing the brewery with the help of an engineer from China who stayed on the farm for a month. He spoke almost no English. We spoke no Mandarin. Every valve, every pipe and every instruction was translated through Google Translate. Somehow, it worked.
Not everything went according to plan. Our brewer managed to burn himself on the hot water pipe during those early days. We spent weeks experimenting with the plastic wrapping on our six-packs, trying to figure out the perfect way to shrink and seal them. We learnt that brewing great beer involves far more than just brewing, it means solving hundreds of problems you never knew existed. Every time we had a festival that we had to tow a trailer, the rain queen would come and make the roads almost impossible.
There were also lessons that only breweries understand. Like the day we had to record ourselves pouring beer down the drain to satisfy SARS that an entire batch couldn't be sold. Watching thousands of litres disappear wasn't easy, but quality has always mattered more than shortcuts.
Then came COVID.
Like so many small businesses, Zwakala was hit hard. The uncertainty was real, and there were moments when the future felt anything but certain. But if there's one thing we've learnt over the past decade, it's that breweries aren't built by buildings or equipment. They're built by people.
When restrictions lifted, we celebrated together with what became one of our favourite memories: a party inside the reservoir overlooking the mountains. It reminded us why Zwakala existed in the first place, to bring people together.
Over the years, life has unfolded alongside the brewery. Staff members have become family. Families have grown. Babies have been born and watched Zwakala grow up alongside them. Customers have become lifelong friends. Visitors who arrived as strangers now return year after year.
The brewery itself has continued to evolve too. Along the way we've been honoured with recognition from the South African beer community, including numerous SANBT awards. Weekend Special was named Best Beer in South Africa, while Limpopo Lager earned the title of Best Light Beer in the country.
Those awards mean a great deal to us, but they have never been the reason we brew.
Our greatest achievement has always been building something together.
When people ask what the last ten years have meant, the answer isn't simply that we've made beer. We've built friendships. We've weathered setbacks. We've celebrated milestones. We've learnt, adapted and kept showing up. Beer has simply been the excuse.
So as we celebrate ten years of Zwakala Brewery, we aren't just raising a glass to what we've brewed. We're raising it to every person who has visited the brewery, shared a beer around a fire, supported us through difficult seasons, celebrated life's big moments with us, or simply chose Zwakala from the shelf.
Thank you for being part of our story.
Here's to the next decade.