Carmen Stevens, a South African award-winning winemaking pioneer

August 29, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Carmen Stevens, founder, Carmen Stevens Wines Pty Ltd (South Africa)

Startup Story

Carmen Stevens, founder of Carmen Stevens Wines Pty Ltd, is the first black person accepted to study winemaking in South Africa and qualified in 1995 as South Africa's first black winemaker. She was recognised with a Top 10 Pinotage award in 1998 for her very first red wine production. Carmen's industry awards include International Decanter Trophy winner, 2015 Winemaker of the Year California, 2018 - Winemaker of the Decade UK (Naked Wines.com). In 2019, Carmen registered the first 100 % black-and-woman owned winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa and was awarded South Africa’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 and 2019. The Carmen Stevens NPO was registered in 2015, the foundation to date, have provided 11 622 731 plates of food to 41 363 learners at school.

Hadija Jabiri, a Tanzanian agripreneur empowering smallholder farmers

August 22, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Hadija Jabiri, founder & MD of GBRI Business Solutions (Tanzania)

Startup Story

Hadija Jabiri is the founder and MD of GBRI Business Solutions in Tanzania. She is a farmer committed to making agricultural production a sustainable and profitable business through empowering smallholder farmers. Hadija is an IVLP alumnae and holder of multiple awards and nominations for her work and business which is making a real difference in people’s lives.

Innovation and Technology: the Future of Agriculture

May 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Impact Partner Content - Absa

The world faces opposing challenges, feeding just under 10 billion people by 2050, whilst also minimizing the effect of this on our planet. To meet these challenges innovation and technology plays a key role in generating efficiencies and conserving scarce resources.

Lioness Launch / South Africa’s Birthmark of Africa Wines launches its new collection

April 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Miranda Abrahams, founder, Birthmark of Africa Wines (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

South Africa is renowned around the world for its fine wine-making, and this month sees the launch of a great new collection of wines from Birthmark of Africa Wines, founded by Miranda Abrahams. Customers can select from a great choice of Red and White wines, Blends and Champagne. The new collection includes Brut Chardonnay MCC – Méthode Cap Classique; Heritage Premium Red Blend; Heritage Premium White Blend; Premium Chardonnay; Premium Chenin Blanc; Premium Merlot; Premium Pinotage; and Premium Pinotage Rose.

Gladys Kgorane, a South African agripreneur supplying farm fresh produce to her customers

April 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Gladys Kgorane, founder, Caleb's Farm (South Africa)

Impact Partner Content - Absa

Gladys Kgorane is the founder and owner of Caleb's farm in Potchefstroom, South Africa, a niche agri business that supplies farm fresh products, eggs, free range chickens, sheep packages and pork packages for its customers. As a family oriented entrepreneur, Gladys is married with three children, she started her farming business on her smallholding back in 2013. Today she has seen it grow substantially from those early days, and now supplies 30 trays of eggs daily to customers, in addition to a wide range of farm fresh meat and fresh vegetables.

Nondumiso Pikashe, a South African entrepreneur creating a proud indigenous wine brand (2021)

March 28, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Nondumiso Pikashe, founder of Ses’fikile Wines (South Africa) — **Nondumiso Pikashe**, founder of Ses’fikile Wines (South Africa)

Exciting things are happening in South Africa’s winelands with a new generation of entrepreneurs making great wines for the local and global market place and building new brands to watch. Ses’fikile Wines, founded by Nondumiso Pikashe, is one such brand with high aspirations.

Rebecca Tshuma, a South African foodpreneur focused on supplying fresh produce to customers

February 7, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Rebecca Tshuma, founder of Becks Foods (South Africa)

Impact Partner Content - Absa

From major food retailers to the hospitality industry, commercial customers look for reliable, high quality, fresh produce suppliers to meet their needs. In South Africa, Rebecca Tshuma, founder of Becks Foods, is building a reputation for supplying some of the freshest, healthiest produce direct from the farm.

Metsana Kojane, a South African agripreneur empowering women and girls through beekeeping

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Metsana Kojane, founder of Eden Roots PTY Ltd (South Africa)

Startup Story

Agribusiness is big business in South Africa, and one passionate, enterprising woman entrepreneur, Metsana Kojane, founder of Eden Roots PTY Ltd, is putting bees at the heart of her business. Her production of beautifully natural honey has not only created local agri-processing jobs for women in her community, but also the creation of a natural skincare brand using the wax, propolis and royal jelly from her raw honey hives.

Lioness Launch / Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions launches its new #WONDER Initiative in South Africa

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Josephine Katumba, founder of Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions, founded by Josephine Katumba, is an urban agriculture social enterprise based in Johannesburg, South Africa, whose mission is to reconcile city dwellers to their food and environment through urban agriculture. The #WONDER initiative is launching this month which invites city dwellers to experience the #Wonder of food. Whether you have a small balcony space or a backyard, Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions will assist you in creating your own edible wonderland.

Perspectives on black female producers in South African agriculture

April 19, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Impact Partner Content: Absa / by Dr Langelihle Simela, Business Development Manager, Absa AgriBusiness and Wessel Lemmer, Senior Agricultural Economist at Absa Agribusiness

Perspective on black women in agriculture: participation, support and prospects. — In South Africa, agriculture is known as male dominated industry - a fact well supported by the 2017 census of commercial agriculture. Therefore, it must be understood that black women who aspire to be become successful farmers enter largely unchartered waters.

Focus on Women Entrepreneurs in African Agri Business

February 9, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Sector Feature

According to the IFC, by 2030, Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness markets are expected to triple to reach $1 trillion in value. Africa needs more than $10 billion in new investment annually to achieve the aspired expansion of agricultural output. As a result, there is now an increasing focus on extending agribusiness value chains, recognizing that 60 percent of Africans derive their livelihoods from agriculture.

Josephine Katumba, a South African entrepreneur turning waste spaces into urban farms

January 29, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Startup Story

One of the challenges of modern living is that often residents of sprawling industrial and commercial cities often become detached from where their food comes from and how it is produced. In South Africa, entrepreneur Josephine Katumba, founder of Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions, is reconnecting people with their food and the environment through urban agriculture.

Abueng Leepile, a South African agripreneur providing healthy and delicious vegetables to the country

January 25, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Abueng Leepile, founder of Bokamoso Abu Farms (South Africa)

Startup Story

South Africa has a long tradition of growing some of the world’s finest fruit and vegetables. In the North West province of the country, agripreneur Abueng Leepile, founder of Bokamoso Abu Farms, is playing her part in the important food production value chain in the country.

LIONESS LAUNCH / South African entrepreneur Adele Cutten launches new mohair craft gift packs

October 6, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, entrepreneur Adele Cutten, founder of the renowned Adele’s Mohair, launches a series of Magic Mohair Gift Packs for creative crafter customers.

Julia ‘Masina Mafike, an entrepreneur in Lesotho inspired by bees to build a successful business

October 6, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Sr. Julia ‘Masina Mafike, founder of JMM Beekeeping (Lesotho) — **Sr. Julia ‘Masina Mafike**, founder of JMM Beekeeping (Lesotho)

Startup Story

Lesotho is renowned for its natural beauty, attracting visitors from around the world. Today, however, it is also renowned for the quality of its honey production, thanks to an enterprising business, JMM Beekeeping, founded by Julia ‘Masina Mafike.

Nonny Penelope Wright, an enterprising agripreneur from Botswana building a great dairy processing business

August 18, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Nonny Penelope Wright, founder of Lopey Inc. and Sereledi Dairy Brand (Botswana)

Startup Story

Botswana has a great agriculture heritage, but the exciting opportunities for young entrepreneurs in country are to be found in taking that heritage and creating innovative value-add businesses. For one young woman entrepreneur in Maun, Nonny Penelope Wright, founder of the Sereledi dairy brand, this was the inspiration for the creation of her agri business, Lopey Inc.

Amanda Aminah Masire, an entrepreneur in Botswana creating a turnkey model for local horticultural farming

August 3, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Amanda Aminah Masire, founder of Greenhouse Technologies (Botswana)

Many entrepreneurs are inspired to start their businesses by seeing a gap in the market or a need in their communities. In the case of Amanda Aminah Masire from Botswana, she started her business, Greenhouse Technologies, in response to the gap between government and local people in the agricultural value chain.

Michelle Adelman, an entrepreneur in Botswana building a powerful business to find innovative solutions to food security in Africa

July 14, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Michelle Adelman, founder of Accite Holdings (Botswana)

One of the biggest challenges facing the African continent is ensuring a strong agricultural sector that can assure future food security, and that challenge requires innovative entrepreneurs to come to the table with ideas. One such entrepreneur is Michelle Adelman, founder of Accite Holdings in Botswana, who is harnessing the power of technology combined with sustainable business and investment models to create fast growing solutions to meet the need for fresh produce and alternative sources of protein.

LIONESS LAUNCH: Chabana Farms launches Botswana’s first honey processing factory

April 7, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Serial entrepreneur Mavis Nduchwa, founder of the successful agribusiness Chabana Farms in Botswana, is making news again this month with her launch of the first honey processing factory in the country. Her new business venture will be processing and packaging various types of honey including the rare white honey, yellow honey, as well as the black honey. Currently, the business is supplying honey to Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Namibia.

Sarah Kennan, a South African entrepreneur celebrating Karoo agave in an exciting new spirit that is exciting global palettes

March 30, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Sarah Kennan, founder of Leonista (South Africa) — **Sarah Kennan**, founder of Leonista (South Africa)

South Africa has always been renowned for growing some of the finest raw ingredients that go into making world class wines and spirits. But now, an exciting new spirit brand, Leonista, founded by Sarah Kennan, is celebrating one of the Karoo’s finest and most unique ingredients, agave.

Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletters for Africa's women entrepreneurs.