Big Eye Branding founder Matthew Fitzsimons shares how he and twin brother Roger, built a fantastic business on the back of the brewers and beverage companies in Africa. Starting in 1993, SAB aggressively expanded outside its home country, they invested in Eastern Europe, in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Management control was gained of breweries in…

That Sh*t Will Never Sell by David GluckmanA book about ideas by the person who had them. David Gluckman worked in the creative heart of the global drinks business for half a century, creating such well-known brands as multibillion-selling Baileys Irish Cream, Tanqueray Ten, Cîroc and many others. Many fantastic lessons about innovation in the drin…

After finishing at the top of his undergraduate class, our guest, Markus Filter went on to do his BCom Hons and MCom degree at the University of Stellenbosch. In this conversation he gives us insights into his final thesis: DEALCOHOLISED WINE : MOTIVATIONS, PREFERENCES AND PERCEPTIONS OF SOUTH AFRICAN GENERATION Y CONSUMERS It is wonderful to chat …

In this episode we talk to Capetonian, Murray Stephenson, head brewer at the Okavango Craft Brewery. Murray is a very experienced brewer who started brewing at Woodstock Brewery just after Andre Viljoen opened the brewery, then he moved to Jack Black and then he was off to help Patiala Brew&Q to open their brewpub in Constantia before his move to M…

Kian Gogle from Gap Draught joins us in the episode. Gap Draught is a monitoring system to help improve draught profitability for the outlets and helps the brewers monitor volumes poured, sanitisation compliance, freshness, quality and stock-outs. Links:https://www.gap-draught.com/ Thank you for listening to our stories here online. Here is a link …

Holger Meier and Keith McLintock talk about beer. Keith clearly loves beer and the beer community and he explains how that passion for craft resulted in the launch of KEGTracker. Neill is his local brewer:https://beerworld.co.za/niall-cook/ Her recommends reading "So you want to start a brewery? : the Lagunitas story" by Tony Magee https://africa1l…

Johan Auriacombe is the driving force behind the Capital’s Beer Mecca, Capital Craft and Capital Craft Beer Festival, SA’s biggest craft beer festival.Johan has a solid background in music, events and festivals and he always wanted to start a bar that sells “other” beers.Johan is a wonderful story teller and shares some tips for up-and-coming brewe…

The liquor industry is still struggling to recover from the effects of the harsh liquor lockdown imposed by the government of this country and many friends and colleagues have lost their livelihoods and may have no option other than to look abroad for opportunities. In this podcast episode we talk to Victoria Smith who is the brand manager for top …

RHBC is the home of Craft Beer in Gqeberha/PE, where Niall Cook is quietly brewing some fantastic beers and craft beverages. Niall shares his story of how he did his first brew as a 16 year old. Niall believes his success comes from collaborating with fellow brewers. Lots of tips. Well worth a listen. https://richmondhillbrewing.com/ Outlets: https…

Today we are visiting the tiny village of Sabie, in the heart of Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route, our guest is conservationist and brewer, Shaun McCartney one of the founders of the Sabie Brewing Company. Shaun studied Forestry at Saarsveld, and then worked in the Eastern Transvaal forestry industry most of his working life. The Sabie Brewing Company i…

Devin Tomlinson is the Global Brand Ambassador for Whitley Neill Gin and Dead Mans Fingers at Halewood Artisanal Brands. Devin shares his journey from events manager at Billy the Bums in Durban to Global Brand Ambassador in the UK, with us. He is very upbeat about Halewood in the UK and South Africa. Devin shares his insights about global drinks tr…

In this podcast episode we talk to James Addison and Paul Wessels who both work in the beer industry in Hong Kong. They have kindly agreed to give us some insight into how things work in this exciting South East Asian country. For more from South Africans that have found opportunities overseas #saffasabroad Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-a…

Luke Bartmann is a South African entrepreneur, with more than 25 years experience in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). Holger and Luke's paths crossed when Luke was heading up the Red Bull team in Durban. Luke then moved to Cape Town and later to Dubai. He then changed to Carlsberg in the UAE. In 2013 he started the African Brand Company an ex…

Ex SAB brewer Arno Matthee, head brewer at Lion Brewery (Ceylon), joins Holger Meier and they talk about Sri Lanka, SAB and Arno's adventures as a brewer in Africa and now in South Asia. During his adventures with SAB Arno has visited more than 30 countries. Arno started his career at Polokwane, (the Pietersburg). After his training he went to Cham…

What started as a student job, became a career decision! Andrew started his pupillage (apprenticeship) at Bavaria Bräu in 1992 under supervision of the proprietor, Bavarian brewmaster, George Funk. Andrew started with brew no 3. Andrew studied microbiology and got some work experience in a lab, a dairy, a pathology lab and at an effluent plant. Aft…

Today we are talking surfing, beer, coffee and radio with Cape Town’s veteran Surf Reporter and Beer Entrepreneur, Deon Bing. Deon shares his journey which started as a once off fundraising event to adding a beer businesses to his extensive range of businesses. Lots of valuable lessons. https://deonbing.co.za/ Links: https://woodstockbrewery.co.za/…

Our guest did his apprenticeship as a brewer in Germany and his passion for the brewing industry has taken him abroad as far as Namibia, New Zealand, South Africa and Kenya. Now back in Germany, our guest, Sebastian Meyer is ensuring that locals in his medieval hometown in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, once again have a local beer that they can be pro…

Andre Pienaar is the very creative distiller at Pienaar & Son, a small craft distillery located in the Silo District of Cape Town Harbour. Andre and Holger talk about the journey from the years in Roeland Street to the new location at Makers Landing and how this new location has allowed Andre to focus his attention on building a following for the d…

Marius Botha is the owner and brewer at Hazeldean Brewing Co. based on Hazeldean Valley farm in Pretoria east. Hazeldean Valley is a 100 hectare estate which offers mountain biking, trail running and a weekend market. http://www.hazeldeanvalley.co.za/ Marius talks to Holger Meier about realising his dream to building his own brewery and he shares h…

We are joined by William Yell, owner of Featherstone Brewery and Entrepid Brewing in Makhanda or Grahamstown. The small town of Grahamstown has a vibrant mix of culture and history and it once acted as the frontier between the British Cape Colony and Xhosa territories. Grahamastown is situated about 110km northeast of Port Elizabeth and is home to …

It is very exciting to talk to a new member of the beer community. Thea-Lize Moolman, started importing Skinny Lager, a low carb, low calorie and gluten free beer, to South Africa just before the liquor lockdowns hit our industry. Please welcome Thea-Lize to the show. Skinny Lager is available at a number of outlets already: https://skinnylager.co.…

SMACK! Republic opened its doors in 2013 as part of the Arts on Main market, which is inside Joburg’s urban neighbourhood, the Maboneng Precinct. Todays guest, Carne Reed is the new owner of this popular brewery. https://smackrepublic.com/ Thank you for listening to our stories here online. Here is a link where you can subscribe to become part of o…

The 5th Fools and Fans took place in Greyton over the weekend. Top Independent Breweries as well as brewers from seven home-brewing clubs from around the country converged on the little touristy village over the weekend of 1st & 2nd April 2022. Trevor Gerntholtz, who started the festival 6 years ago joins us in this episode. Enjoy! https://foolsand…

Holger Meier is joined by Lorraine Immelman to talk about The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards which she founded in 1997. The competition was established to offer South African producers the opportunity of having their wines adjudicated locally by a highly experienced and respected panel of professionals from around the globe. Now, …

Danie Odendaal is a passionate brewer and member of the beer community in South Africa. After 21 years at SAB, Danie could no longer withstand the call to do his own thing. So in 2018 Danie started Bearded Brew. Bearded Brew can help brewers with problem solving, choosing the correct brewery for their application, procedures and training and recipe…