Wezi Mzumara is the founder of Kwanza Cocoa, Malawi’s only craft chocolate firm. Upon returning from a period in the UK’s fashion and entertainment worlds, her parents informed her that she would need to farm, which nearly crushed her dreams.
She told FoodforAfrika that her parents emphasized the importance of farming above entertainment. I enjoy my mascara, eyeliner, and cosmetics.
The Malawian gave the notion a go and went to her family’s property, where she discovered a little cocoa estate with only four trees. She pondered pursuing a career in cocoa cultivation.
In 2013, she planted 30 extra cocoa trees, despite initially intending to grow and sell cocoa beans. Given that the trees took at least five years to mature and produce, she had plenty of time to return to the entertainment and design professions.
In 2017, she chose to make chocolate from the trees that were ready. She did, however, have some reservations because making chocolate requires highly advanced science. Despite the Covid-19 lockdown, she managed to experiment with chocolate production.
“I started to learn more about the chocolate-making process. Mzumara noted that since then it has been a voyage of product creation, testing events, expos, and building product lines. “My first slab of chocolate was terrible. “And by horrible, I mean bitter!”
The trailblazer improved her skills through schooling and personal development. “Now I am a cocoa farmer, chocolate maker and chocolatier-in-training,” she said.
She only recently bought her first chocolate-making machine. Her company, Kwanza Cocoa, employs nine individuals and was fully registered in 2022.
She emphasized the labor-intensive nature of chocolate production. They must attain an optimal temperature during the fermentation process. After fermentation, they are dried for six to seven days, depending on the weather conditions. After that, they are roasted, cracked, and winnowed to remove the shells from the cocoa nibs.
She explained that this is done to prepare the cocoa beans before the machine grinds and refines them for two days without interruption. According to FoodforAfrika, “the science of making chocolate” comes next.
Mzumara creates four typical chocolate varieties: dark chocolate, demarche, milk chocolate, and white chocolate, the majority of which she sells to individual customers; she has not yet started supplying retail outlets, she stated last year.
Mzumara is the developer of Kwanza Cocoa and co-founder of Mzuzu Fashion Week, a platform for designers, models, and craftspeople to showcase their wares.
She led the fashion week for five years before turning it over to her co-founder in 2020. She intends to take charge again in 2025.