Ayrin Dioka from Mahubong Huningweley in the Northern Cape learned about processing motlopi (Boscia albitrunca)—a traditional root coffee deeply rooted in the region—from her grandmother when she was a young girl. Years later, she founded the brand Malimpunyane-21, which is completely natural and created in memory of her grandmother in Kuruman.
Her grandmother, Tushoyone Pitso, raised her. However, after her grandmother's death when Dioka was nine years old, she ended up in an orphanage, taking these memories with her. In 2021, Dioka experienced another heavy loss—the death of an infant shortly after birth. She hoped to build her own family, and this loss made her search for something that could reconnect her with her true essence.
Her thoughts turned to motlopi: the walks she took with her late grandmother and the process of turning roots into finished products. She remembers how her uncle Kapulele Dioka collected motlopi roots, and her grandmother processed them. Through her grandmother's business, she also learned how to interact with people.
Dioka shares: 'I wish she were here to see how far I have come in business. Her passion, love, and care shaped me, and I carry that with me years after her passing.'
Years later, Dioka worked in the environmental affairs department as a waste collector. When she lost that job, she returned to the villages. There, she remembered how motlopi once helped her grandmother's income. She also thought about lerotse melon and how her grandmother made jam from it, as well as yogurt from fresh milk.
She recounts: 'Once I didn't have syrup and wanted to bake crackers, so I used jam. It turned out very well.' She notes: 'This made me realize that I could work with local plants and create income without taking too much from nature. That's when I started seeing that nature could give me a business.'
For Dioka, quality begins long before the product reaches the buyer. It starts with sourcing ingredients from trusted local collectors and small farmers who understand the land and harvest responsibly. She emphasizes: 'Quality is paramount. It must be 100% natural, without chemicals. It must be clean and fresh. I personally check how it is harvested and dried.'
Dioka wishes buyers to know that they will always receive consistent quality while maintaining a fair price for the people who gather her ingredients and keeping her products affordable for consumers. She says: 'I am building long-term relationships, not just one-off purchases.'
This approach is especially important for her motlopi coffee, which, according to her, connects her product to the roots and traditions of the Northern Cape. The coffee is still prepared using traditional methods, including sun drying and roasting over an open fire. The same emphasis on simple, natural ingredients extends to her lerotse yogurt and jam. The yogurt combines local melon with goat's milk, and the jam is made from melon and sugar. Dioka hand-picks melons in season and processes them without preservatives or artificial colors.
For Dioka, products are not just about selling food. They represent a way of transforming local knowledge and ingredients into income while preserving the traditions in which she grew up.
Dioka asserts that running a business taught her that local produce cannot be viewed as ordinary goods. She concludes: 'The biggest lesson is that story and trust sell more than price. Natural, handmade, and local products have value.'
Currently, her focus is on strengthening the business: improving packaging and processes, and undergoing product testing through Seda and completing the necessary documentation. Dioka hopes these steps will help her transition from sales at local markets and through word-of-mouth to reaching a wider market, while keeping traditional knowledge and local communities at the heart of her business.