Exclusive Interview with Mr. Grant Galloway, Managing Director, Zululand Distilling Company, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

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Q: What is your full name, title, company name and company location?

Grant Galloway, Managing Director, Zululand Distilling Company, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Q: Where does the name “Tapanga” originate from and why did you choose it?

The direct translation in Swahili is “Sweet”. The knives used to harvest sugar cane are called “Panga’s” in South Africa. So Tapanga is a play on the word Panga but also references our feedstock which is freshly crushed sweet sugarcane juice. There is also reference to Tapanga meaning “we have made”.

Q: What inspired you to get into the spirits industry and why rum?

We are first and foremost a working farm comprised mostly of sugar cane plantations. The sugar industry has, for some time, been on the decline and a decision was taken in the late 90’s to diversify our farming operations. The Mauritians had been adding value to their plantations for many years and I suppose they were the inspiration behind the venture into spirits and rum in particular. It was a natural progression to find alternate value in our current crop as opposed to completely diversifying. Rum production is now part of our agricultural portfolio that includes: Timber, Essential Oils, Macadamias and of course Sugarcane.

Q: Why did you decide to take a Rhum Agricole approach to produce your rums?

Agricole was an easy decision for us as the availability of raw material (in our case, sugarcane juice) was readily available to us as we grow it on the property. Molasses on the other hand is controlled by the milling companies and we felt it easier at the time to control our own destiny by upscaling value at farm level as opposed to purchasing raw material. Authenticity was also very important to us at the onset of this project and we really wanted to emulate the Rhum Agricole methodology of the AOC, but with a uniquely African twist. Hence we coined and operate under the term “Africole”.

Q: How long has your estate been growing sugarcane and how far away from you is the nearest sugar mill?  Are you supplying sugarcane to the mill or is all the cane cultivated used to produce rum?

The estate has been growing sugarcane for just over a 100 years. Our closest sugar mill is 20km away. Sugarcane for rum production comprises 5%-8% of our crop, the balance of which is sent for milling.

Q: How many varieties of sugarcane are you currently growing? Are any of them considered “heirloom” or are they hybrids introduced in recent times for sugar production?

We have 12 different varieties on the farm all of which are hybrids purely to maximize returns for sugar production. The distillery feeds off the farming operation to this regard. But certain varieties like N31, N12 and N39 seem to work best for us because of their high sucrose content. 

Q: How long (how many months) is your sugarcane harvest season?  Are you harvesting by hand, machine or both?

Being on the coast with high rainfall and high heat units our sugarcane matures in 12 months and is harvested for milling annually between April and December. Again, to this regard, the distillery feeds off the farming operation during these months. The operation at the distillery is slightly more complex between the months of January and March when the cane is harvested daily for the distillery to ensure a year round operation. All the harvesting is done by hand.

Q: How many tons of sugarcane are you harvesting per acre and how much sugarcane juice are you collecting, per ton of cane harvested?  What is the brix of the sugarcane juice?

Different varieties in different soils produce dramatically different yields. But I would say a good average is around 70 tons per hectare. Based on the above the juice yield varies between 400L per ton to 700L per ton dependent on variety and time of the year. Less moisture with higher brix in winter and higher moisture with lower brix in the summer, which is the rainy season. Brix values average out at around 20.

Q: How long do you ferment your juice before distilling it?  I imagine the temperature is quite high over there.  Do you have to ferment in jacketed tanks that allow you to keep the fermentation temperature from getting too hot for the yeast?

Fermentation typically take 6 days. The temperatures are extremely hot in summer reaching 45 degrees Celsius and can drop down to single digits in winter, although this is rare and temperatures in winter are generally in the 20’sC. Its important with this discrepancy to keep a constant temperature of 28 degrees Celsius during fermentation. 

Q: What type of still do you use?

We have an Arnold Holstein hybrid still. The still is set up to allow us to use it both as a pot still and a column still. 

Q: What was the process like, working with your local government, to get your permit approved for the distillery?  How long did it take?

Patience is the key to dealing with anything government orientated in South Africa. There are numerous hoops that need to be jumped through and in our case the licensing process took about 18 months. 

Q: What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

As pioneers of our industry in South Africa, knowledge was hard to come by as there was no guild or authority one could turn to for information. It was trial by error and hence we paid a lot of school fees at the onset. The upside of this is that we had to write our own manual. The result of this trial and error was that we settled on a very specific set of results that has defined our product. 

Q: You are Master Distiller and Managing Director, wearing many hats at the same time, who is someone at your distillery that you consider the one who you can count on to step in and assist you?

Like with any new business one has to wear as many hats as possible initially, learning every facet of your business before you can pass the knowledge on. I have been very fortunate to have a great team around me. My right hand man at the distillery is David Shongwe. David was employed on the farm as a tractor driver and was the distillery’s 1st employee. With his incredible attention to detail, David quickly became the jack of all trades and the master of all he put his mind to. He runs all the day to day operations at ZDC and is arguably South Africa’s 1st black rum distiller. 

Q: What rum(s) are you currently producing?

We produce 4 different variants of the Tapanga Brand:

  • Tapanga White Rum – Off the still Africole. It is delicate and soft on the palate with aromas of tropical botanicals and grassy notes.
  • Tapanga Gold Rum – Small batch single barrel release. It has a prominent vanilla nose with a well-balanced long fruity and floral finish.
  • Tapanga Premium Reserve – Is our 5 year offering. It is deep with a rich nose. Vanilla and cherry combine beautifully with dry fruit and hints of citrus. 
  • Tapanga Kopra – Afropolitian Blend. This rum features sun dried coconut with hints of roasted almond and caramel. 

Q: Do you plan to add new rums to your portfolio in the future?

We do indeed have plans to expand the Tapanga portfolio. As with all good things, these take time and we definitely have a few future prospects quietly sleeping away in barrels.

Q: Where are your products currently available for purchase?

Mostly South Africa at this stage. We have partnered up with a new distribution partner and will launch into Europe and the USA in 2021. This is a very exciting development for us and we are looking forward to bringing an African Rum to the world.

Q: Do you offer tours of your distillery? If so, are reservations recommended/required? 

We do offer distillery tours. Bookings are essential as we are a working farm and not generally open to the public. 

Q: If yes to the above, can you tell us a bit about what a customer will experience when they arrive at your distillery?

Visitors to the distillery are treated to a mix of farm-life and distillery production. There is usually a hive of activity on a daily basis and visitors can literally experience the process in its entirety from farm to bottle. We encourage visitors to partake in whatever distillery activities are being performed at the time of their visit and people take ownership in that. 

Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you? 

The website is possibly the best starting point. All the relevant details are there.www.tapangarum.com

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Consumer education is high on our priorities because of the lack of general rum knowledge in South Africa particularly. I encourage consumers to do a little research and read between the blurry lines of clever marketing campaigns. Rum is the Wild West of the spirit categories so be aware of the charlatans out there and support local whenever you have a chance. Mauritius and Reunion have flown the African flag up until now and continue to do so but there are some great offerings coming out of South Africa. Tapanga, Whistler and Mhoba are at the forefront of this African Rum Revolution and all deserve a seat at the table.  

Lastly I would just like to thank Margaret and her team at “Got Rum” for positively pushing the rum agenda.   

Margaret: Again Grant, thank you so much for this interview and I wish you and your team much success.

Cheers!

Margaret Ayala,

Publisher