Ginger shortage impacting ginger beer quality and price - SA producer

Yamama Gemmer prides itself on using the best-quality imported ginger. Now it's forced to source the spice from wherever it can.

The latest inflation numbers from Stats SA indicate that the average cost of food is rising at twice the rate of consumer price inflation.

Ginger is among those products to have seen skyrocketing prices, thanks also in the case of the spice to a surge in demand.

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Agricultural economist Dr Kobus Laubscher has told CapeTalkers to blame this on increasing awareness during the pandemic of the health benefits of ginger.

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Bruce Whitfield chats to the co-owner of Yamama Gemmer, producer of traditional homemade gingerbeer concentrate made with natural ingredients.

The spike in the price of their core ingredient has hit the business hard, says Mosibudi Makgato.

It means we must increase our prices.

Mosibudi Makgato, Co-owner - Yamama Gemmer

Another thing, Yamama Gemmer is known for the best taste because of the best-quality ginger we use. Now, not only is it expensive but it's also not the greatest quality.

Mosibudi Makgato, Co-owner - Yamama Gemmer

Customers are going to be lost because we're not producing the same ginger beer that we used to because now it's not tasting as it should be.

Mosibudi Makgato, Co-owner - Yamama Gemmer

She says their Joburg supplier gets stock from India or Nigeria and as a last resort, China.

During the last few months they have also been sourcing local ginger:

"Its intensity varies based on the vegetation, so the local one might not be as pungent as the Nigerian one or the Indian one."

Listen to Makgato in conversation with Bruce Whitfield:

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