Influential women in food and beverage industry

FROM restaurateurs and business executives, to brewers growing brands, these are the women driving the food and beverage industry industry forward.

Lucy Beard

Lucy Beard is the co-founder of Hope Distillery, a Cape Town gin and vodka distillery that prides itself on crafting spirits from scratch.

Beard started a craft distillery with her husband Leigh. Initially called Hope on Hopkins, now rebranded as Hope Distillery, the company has gone from strength to strength.

“We’re constantly experimenting and striving for excellence. For us, it’s about creating something exceptional; something instilled with integrity and passion; something that will become the perfect accompaniment to people’s special moments,” says Beard.

Ntsiki Biyela

Ntsiki Biyela is one of South Africa’s iconic and world-renowned winemakers. Biyela has forged a path to become a highly respected and widely admired name in the world of wine. In 2016, she established Aslina Wines, inspired by the strength and determination of the biggest influence in her life, her grandmother.

Aslina is renowned for its range of premium wines. Her ambition to create her own wines grew following a collaboration with Californian winemaker Helen Kiplinger as part of Mika Bulmash’s Wine for the World initiative. It became obvious that her new brand should be named Aslina in the matriarch’s honour.

Sarah Collins

Sarah Collins is the founder of Wonderbag, a standalone, non-electric insulated bag designed to reduce the amount of fuel required to cook food in developing countries.

Although the Wonderbag was designed to help the poor cook their food without using too much electricity, it’s just as useful for those who are shorter of time than money. The product is widely used during load shedding. The Wonderbag keeps the moisture inside your food and the nutrients don’t boil away, thus promoting healthy food.

Siba Mtongana

Sibahle Mtongana is a chef, restaurateur and television presenter famously known as the host of the Cooking Channel show Siba’s Table.

Mtongana continues to break industry barriers through her passion for food and people.

In 2019, she was hand-picked by the Presidency to curate the VIP menu for the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa, serving 450 guests, including heads of states, former presidents, kings, queens and global business moguls.