Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela (b 1984) is a passionate black female brewmaster born and raised in Butterworth, a small village in the Eastern Cape,South Africa. Apiwe was first intrigued by the science of beer making during her high school days when she visited an open day at a university. After high school, she completed a BSC degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Gauteng, and later earned an Honours degree in Microbiology from the University of Pretoria. Her professional brewing career began in 2007 when she joined South African Breweries (SAB) through the company's graduate programme. She completed brewing traineeship within the company and also got her Diploma in Brewing and her Master Brewer qualification through the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. She went on to polish her craftsmanship over 8 years at SAB where she held various roles before resigning in 2015, to pursuit other opportunities within the craft beer industry.  Apiwe has served as CEO of Brewsters Craft, a microbrewery & contract brewing facility, since 2015 after founding the business. She is a woman of many firsts, emerging as a force to be reckoned with within the brewing industry: In 2010 she became the first person in South Africa to complete the National Diploma in Clear Fermented Beverages (NQF 6) through the FoodBev SETA and Institute of Brewing – Africa Section; Her company Brewsters Craft, was the first black female owned and operated brewing company in South Africa; In 2018 she became the youngest and first black female chairperson of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, Africa Section; And In 2019 she became the founding chairperson of the Beer Association of South Africa. Apiwe launched her own award-winning brand of premium beers and cider, Tolokazi, in 2020. In 2021, Tolokazi Beer scooped silver and bronze awards for its Mango and Sorghum Pilsner Beers respectively, in the prestigious African Beer Cup Award - an award which recognizes the best beers on the African continent. In 2022 , Tolokazi won platinum award at the Craft Beer Marketing Awards.Apiwe is passionate about Africa and showcasing the distinct brews of the African continent to the world. She has found ways to incorporate indigenous ingredients and techniques in her brewing style throughout her career, and aims to preserve the culture of traditional African beer making in order to nurture the next generation of brewers.