EAT/DRINK

ARTISANS

Design//Life’s favourite food artisans from around Zimbabwe

When Mr Nhembo bought his dairy farm in Beatrice in 1979, little did he know it would go on to become a frontrunner in the manufacture of beautiful cheese. Mr Nhembo’s son, Tendai, and his wife, Felistas, first began making butter for home use, then taught themselves how to make a variety of products, with the goal of making proudly Zimbabwean products, creating sustainable jobs for their area, and supplying goods nationwide. Now Amzi Farm produces yoghurt, cream, fresh milk, butter, ghee and six different types of cheese: feta (above), mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, cream cheese and cottage cheese.

Available at Maasdorp Market every Wednesday and Saturday. 11 Maasdorp Avenue, Harare.

Fratelli Bakery was founded by the two Nyamukapa brothers in Zambia as part of a health kick for their father who was tired of eating store-bought bread. Their mother, Mrs Sarah Nyamukapa, now runs the Zimbabwean branch, providing bread products for farmers’ markets and individual households. Using her precious nine-year-old starter, Sarah bakes a variety of sourdough breads (above) and is working on a new sourdough for the emerging gluten-free market in Zimbabwe. We can’t wait for her to open her own bakery and café in this country.

Call: +263 772 706 745.

“Dolcetti” means little sweets or treats in Italian, and this artisanal ice cream is definitely a treat. Dolcetti was founded in 2022 by Kennedy Nyangoni, an investment banker in the UK who fell in love with ice cream and decided there was a gap in the Zimbabwean market. Using the finest natural ingredients, such as local milk, macadamia nuts from Chipinge and strawberries from Mvurwi, Dolcetti has become a favourite in Harare and Nyangoni is working on expanding his business around Zimbabwe.

Dolcetti, The Hub, 14 Hindhead Avenue, Chisipite, Harare.  
Instagram: @dolcetti.gelato

Kachasu, a traditional African distilled drink, is not everyone’s favourite, but Rob Mathews, a Zimbabwean with 20 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry, is set to change our minds with his version. Mathews is determined to create a gold-standard drink that can be sold internationally. Mathews uses fruits indigenous to Zimbabwe, such as nyii (bird plum) and masawu (Indian jujube) to create his kachasu; no other flavours are added from fruit to distillation to bottling. Buy a bottle via the Distillery’s Instagram page.

Instagram: @tangwenadistillery

Words by Chef de Ankarra