STAFF WRITER
OF LATE there have been calls for those in the diaspora to come back home, impart their valuable knowledge and help grow the country’s economy.
Coupled with this, Zimbabwe now offers a lot of opportunities for diasporans willing to invest in their home country.
One such entrepreneur who has heeded that call is James Tonderai Mparutsa aka The Liquid MasterChef who has created a niche for himself and is making waves locally with his blend of cocktail and mocktail-making.
In Zimbabwe, cocktails have largely been a preserve of the more affluent as they were expensive due to the use of imported ingredients.
Mparutsa, who has travelled extensively and once lived in South Africa seems to have capitalised on that opportunity and launched his own affordable cocktail and mocktail lines using quality local produce.
“Cocktails and mocktails are not as popular in Zimbabwe as they are mostly for the rich but I am on a mission to change that.
“There is not much knowledge on how to mix and blend beverages, for example, many people do not know the difference between a cocktail and a mocktail — difference being a mocktail is a blend of different beverages without alcohol and a cocktail is a mocktail with liquor added that we refer to as a punch.
“We have the best juice -extracting plants who manufacture quality cordials and therefore cocktails and mocktails should be affordable.
“I use 98 percent local produce such that the cost of producing your cocktails or mocktails are low and thus they become affordable.
“I fell in love with the art of mixing and blending while in South Africa at the popular Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Mall and I had been promoted as regional consumption manager and I was given room to try new ideas.
“That was also when I was afforded the opportunity to travel around the world including to countries like Brazil where cocktails rule especially on the Copacabana strip,” said Mparutsa, who was born on December 28, 1968, and third in a family of five boys.
He then took what he had learnt concerning mixing and blending beverages from his travels back to Cape Town where there are a lot of tourists and beach bars.
Here, he interacted and shared ideas with fellow professionals in the same field and here was born the term mixology and he moved back to Zimbabwe laden with massive ideas in the field and got busy.
Now with a large clientele base of corporates such as CABS, Delta, Schweppes, Afdis, Zimre Holdings(ZHL) and many others, he is making waves with his cocktails and mocktails as well as the masterclasses he regularly holds to impart his invaluable knowledge on the field.
Mparutsa says mixology is sweeping the country with some companies holding regular workshops to promote their brands as well as helping businesses realise better profits while providing an international service to their clients.
“I not only make cocktails and mocktails among other beverages but also train staff for hotels, restaurants, corporates, events planners and individuals on the art of blending (what I term Mixology), basic and advanced wine training, the art of coffee making and blending (barista).
“I also do hospitality training and provide waiters, bartenders, mixologists, ushers and access control staff for public and private events.”
Boasting vast experience in the travel and hospitality industry, The Liquid MasterChef, also assists those who intend to explore the world of cruise ships.
In parting, he says “I have so much knowledge to impart to the youngsters having travelled and learnt the art from many different countries — this is my own contribution to Zimbabwe’s tourism which I believe has so much potential and I’d like to call upon locals living in the diaspora to come home and invest here as there are so many opportunities here.