Discover the World’s oldest
fermented beverage
At The Cape Town Meadery, our mazers blend ancient African traditions with modern twists to rejuvenate the world’s oldest beverage. Drawing inspiration from the lush landscapes and rich history of Africa, we craft each batch of mead with precision, passion, and a commitment to sustainability. Dive into a symphony of flavours, where the past meets the present, and every sip tells a story of heritage and innovation.
Mead: A Journey from Ancient African Origins
The origins of mead can be traced back to the African bush more than 20,000 years ago.
Then, feral bees were well established, elephants roamed the continent and weather patterns were seasonal, as they are today in Africa. Extreme drought conditions during the dry season and torrential rains in the wet season were common.
This weather pattern would eventually cause hollows to rot the crown of the Baobab and Miombo trees, where the elephant had broken branches. During the dry season, the bees would nest in these hollows, and during the wet season the hollows would fill with water. Water, honey, osmotolerant yeast, time and viola – a mead (or !Karri) was born. Early African bushmen and tribes gathered not only honey but also mead, and as successive waves of people left Africa, they took with them some knowledge of mead and mead making.
Shop our hand-crafted mead
We deliver countrywide for just R103
Fine dining
The chefs at these notable fine dining establishments have paired our meads with their exquisite cuisine:
