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Ubusulu Palm Wine Carves a
Niche
South African Food
and Beverage Manufacturing Review
While the vintage and cultivar of a new wine bottled in KwaZulu-Natal may not be on a par with those of the Cape winelands, Ubusulu Palm Wine is carving a niche for itself. Janice Hunt reports.
Ubusulu Palm Wine is a traditional fermented low alcohol beverage believed to cure ailments such as gout, high blood pressure and impotence. It's derived from the sap of iLala (Lala) and iSundu (Wild Date) palm trees that are abundant in the Maputaland area of northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Bio/Chemtek became involved in its production four years ago when government strategies were being developed to improve the economic status of the area.
Thabang Jase of CSIR Bio/Chemtek's Technology for Development (TFD) explains that Ubusulu is a pure product with a rapid fermentation period of about 24 hours, when it reaches an alcohol volume of 4,5%. 'A recognised characteristic of Ubusulu is that it's totally pure -- nothing is added, not even yeast, as is the case with traditional beer,' he notes.
The sap is collected by cutters, most of who belong to the Ubusulu Cutters' Association, who cut the trunk-like stem of the palm tree as high above the ground as possible at an angle of about 30º to the horizontal. A cut palm leaf is then inserted into another cut just below to collect the sap and lead it to a collection container. One plant can supply about 20 litres of sap over a four-week period.
A conical cap woven from palm leaves covers the cut palm and collection containers to stop water diluting the sap when it rains. The cutters believe that a free flow of air is needed for good sap flow. Under these conditions, the sap is contaminated with airborne micro-organisms as well as insects, attracted by the sweet sap.
In investigating the commercial potential of the product, TFD and the Ubusulu cutters, under the auspices of the Maputaland Development and Information Centre (MDIC), identified several obstacles to the successful production and distribution of the wine.
After ascertaining the viability of the project, TFD developed a pasteurised bottling process that increased its shelf-life from two days to about six months. Some 250 X 340ml bottles are being produced daily, five days/week. This has greatly improved Ubusulu's market potential, with local lodges and bottle stores being targeted to increase exposure to the tourist market.
News of the product has spread, with enquiries coming in from east and west Africa, and several cases have been sent to embassies for distribution to their markets.
Should demand increase significantly, plans will have to be implemented smartly to ensure sustainability as it takes a tree a couple of years to recover once it's been tapped. Jase says the MDIC together with the ARC is involved in developing domesticated trees for cultivation.
He's confident that the project has promise and could increase the number of jobs created -- which now includes five people in the processing plant and 15 cutters.
Jase reports that TFD is working on similar projects to commercialise traditional and indigenous foods in forms suitable to small businesses: 'These will give entrepreneurs opportunities to make and sell value-added products in markets where they have the competitive advantage,' he maintains.
Reprinted with permission, South African Food and Beverage Manufacturing Review, January 2001
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