Ingwebu Breweries targets wider market reach with new product

INGWEBU Breweries, owned by the Bulawayo Municipal Commercial Undertaking, is setting its sights on expanded product market coverage for its recently launched beverage, Cream ta taa.

Faced with constraints on beer market growth stemming from the limited shelf-life of its traditional beer offerings, such as Calabash, the organisation invested in modern technology to enhance the value of its beer.

This investment has resulted in the production of a pasteurised and carbonated product, christened Cream ta taa, which boasts a significantly longer shelf life compared to its traditional lines.

Speaking at the two-day Bulawayo Investment Development Conference (Bedcon25), Ingwebu Breweries’ managing director, Mr Dumisani Mhlanga, said the organisation is now positioned to distribute its Cream ta taa to more distant regions — areas that were previously beyond their reach due to the perishable nature of their traditional beer product.

“As I speak, the product is already in Victoria Falls and Beitbridge, while there are plans to expand the product’s market coverage. Further, the business has diversified into non-alcoholic beverages, starting with mahewu, which is being marketed in Bulawayo and neighbouring markets,” he said.

Ingwebu Breweries managing director Mr Dumisani Mhlanga

This development comes after the organisation expanded its workforce by 21 employees following the installation of a state-of-the-art US$1, 7 million PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) beer packaging plant.
The investment is part of the company’s broader strategy to enhance product distribution, extend shelf life, and strengthen its competitiveness in the rapidly evolving beverage industry.

Mr Mhlanga said through these innovations, the organisation aims to close the competitive gap and expand its market and revenue base, as well as increase its economic contribution to the City of Bulawayo and contribute to the development of the country.

“As Ingwebu Breweries, our belief is that, in line with Education 5.0, there is a need to accelerate innovation in industry, and this needs to be done in close collaboration between industry, academia, and the Government. There is an opportunity for industry to fund academic research that would resolve existing industry challenges and result in the production of new, more novel products that are cheaper and faster to produce.”

Mr Mhlanga said the Ingwebu brand is a 112-year-old brand and is still growing, defying the known Product Life Cycle theory that suggests that when a product is introduced into the market, it grows, matures, declines, and then dies.

“Only the best brands like Ingwebu behave this way. On the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) front, the organisation has consistently donated to a number of organisations and communities, including donations towards the Mayor’s Christmas Cheer fund, Cure Children’s Hospital, old people’s homes, Nust graduations, schools prize giving days, and the annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Tug of War Championships.”

He said Bedcon25’s theme, “Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Economic Development,” resonates well with Ingwebu Breweries as the organisation has empowered the city’s residents by allowing them to operate its 45-outlet franchise.

Mr Mhlanga said through this franchise, Ingwebu Breweries has empowered the city’s entrepreneur-residents to participate in the distribution and marketing of its products with minimum initial investment.

“Besides its franchise, hundreds of private beer-distributing businesses in Bulawayo and the neighbouring provinces of Matabeleland North and South, and the Midlands are also involved in the marketing of the organisation’s products,” he said.

“In this way, Ingwebu Breweries has contributed to the economic development of the city and Zimbabwe as a whole. The organisation is one of the biggest employers in the city, with a workforce of about 400 direct employees and a similar number being employed in its franchised outlets.

“These employees spend most of their earnings in the city, contributing to its development.”

Recently, the Cabinet acknowledged the significant investment in Ingwebu Breweries, noting that the development was an initiative moving the economy up the value chain pillar of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).-chronicle