OnTap Magazine

OT: Congratulations on the new taproom at Makers Landing – how did it all come about? LT: During lockdown I got a call from the team that were setting up Makers Landing to ask us to take a look. The concept is slightly different to existing markets in Cape Town – Makers Landing is a market where people actually make the products on site. So they asked if we would be interested in setting up a brewery and I thought wow, what a great opportunity – to set up a brewery at the Waterfront. We checked it out and fell in love with the space upstairs. Our finances by this point were pretty much at zero so we set about seeking the funding and now we have what we really think is the most beautiful brewery in Africa. OT: Covid can’t have helped with the launch but you’re obviously building quite a following – how has it gone so far? LT: Covid gave us a tough time for sure. In fact we still haven’t done our official launch because of the restricted numbers thing. It’s been a tough time and a very insecure time. You don’t know what’s going to come next – are they going to hit us with another five month ban? Things started very quietly here but we are starting to build a culture and things are gradually picking up. We are lucky that we still have a following that we’ve gathered over the years from our taprooms first in Woodstock and then in Claremont. Being at the Waterfront we are also capturing a whole new audience alongside our long term fans. OT: What can people expect when they come to visit? LT: I think it’s the best brewery experience you can find. We’re in a market with three restaurants and at least six food stalls, a chocolate factory, a distillery, a bakery – there is so much under one roof. We are on the edge of the ocean with a beautiful view of the harbour, stretching all the way to the hills in Durbanville. On a good day you can even see dolphins. It’s just a great place to be. Lockdown almost spelled the end of Cape Town based Ukhamba Beerworx, but when an opportunity to open a taproom at the new Makers Landing venue at Cape Town’s cruise terminal arose, co-founder Lethu Tshabangu fought to keep the brand alive. We sat down to find out what else has been happening. 14 | Winter 2021 | ontapmag.co.za