{"id":648021,"date":"2026-06-19T23:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T23:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/648021\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T23:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T23:55:13","slug":"craft-beer-startup-tolokazi-beer-joins-female-founder-funding-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/648021\/","title":{"rendered":"Craft beer startup Tolokazi Beer joins female founder funding programme"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>South African craft beer brand Tolokazi Beer has been selected as the second business to join a funding-readiness and venture capital programme aimed at supporting Black female-owned businesses.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/814052-700x527.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"527\" alt=\"Craft beer startup Tolokazi Beer joins female founder funding programme\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The initiative is a partnership between Grindstone Ventures and the Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC), structured as a five-year programme designed to help selected businesses prepare for investment and scale operations.<\/p>\n<p>Tolokazi Beer follows Chicken Bar and Pal\u00e9 as the latest company selected for support.<\/p>\n<p>Expansion support for craft beer brand<\/p>\n<p>Founded by brewer Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, Tolokazi Beer produces craft beers and ciders using ingredients including sorghum and rooibos.<\/p>\n<p>According to the companies, the programme combines venture-building support with access to early-stage investment to help participating businesses strengthen operations and improve funding readiness.<\/p>\n<p>Tolokazi Beer already distributes products through retail and restaurant channels and has secured export agreements in the US and Europe.<\/p>\n<p>The company said future plans include product updates, increased production capacity and broader market expansion.<\/p>\n<p>Focus on funding readiness<\/p>\n<p>Grindstone Ventures CEO Thandiwe Maqetuka said the programme focuses on supporting businesses with long-term growth potential.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are excited to welcome Tolokazi Beer into the programme. Apiwe is a powerhouse founder with a bold brand and an inspiring story of purpose-driven entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s not just building a product, she\u2019s building legacy, representation and innovation in an industry where female ownership is still rare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nxusani-Mawela said the selection would support the company\u2019s next phase of growth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is more than an investment, it is a belief in our story, purpose and potential. This backing gives us the confidence and support to take Tolokazi Beer to the world while staying true to our African roots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Venture capital and growth support<\/p>\n<p>MIC chief investment officer Nchaupe Khaole said the investment aligns with the company\u2019s focus on supporting businesses positioned for scale and long-term value creation.<\/p>\n<p>Selected businesses in the programme receive access to Grindstone\u2019s growth methodology alongside strategic investment support from MIC and Grindstone Ventures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"South African craft beer brand Tolokazi Beer has been selected as the second business to join a funding-readiness&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":648022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[84,4203,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-648021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-business","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/648022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}