By Noko Mashilo
Diale Maputle is a passionate young distiller and the founder of NkopeStill, a proudly African distillery based in Ga-Marishane in Limpopo.
Inspired by his grandmother, who mastered the art of traditional vodka distillation better known as thothotho in Northern Sotho, Maputle continues the family legacy by crafting high-quality vodka that celebrates indigenous knowledge and local ingredients.
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Maputle’s commitment to innovation and tradition recently earned him a spot among the young exhibitors at AgriXpo, an agricultural exhibition opened by Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba in Polokwane.
Through NkopeStill, Maputle is not only preserving a rich cultural heritage, but also redefining the future of African distillation.
“I blend traditional way with modern techniques to create a vodka that carries the soul of my roots. Through Nkopestill, I am not only celebrating my grandmother’s legacy but also putting South African craft vodka on the map, proving that tradition and modernity can coexist in every bottle,” he told Vutivi News.
Maputle uses raw sorghum to distil his vodka.
“To ensure quality and originality, I follow a well-controlled recipe and process that I have learnt from my grandmother who died in 2010,” he said.
Maputle said AgriXpo was a life-changing opportunity.
“It is one of the events that no young entrepreneur must ever miss. I learnt a lot from other young businesspeople. We have shared information, and contacts and also connected with my future business partners,” he said.
Maputle said he learnt a lot from Standard Bank’s presentation that spoke about intergeneration transfer of wealth.
“I did not know about this information, from now on, I am going to consider implementing this idea into my generation to come.”
Maputle said that to strengthen agro-processing and vodka production, the government must fund small businesses.
“We need machinery and skills to operate them. We need more skills development programmes that will empower our knowledge to grow business,” he said.
Maputle’s goal is to expand to other countries.
“This will give me the capacity to lead and provide employment for youth. It is always good to choose, buy and promote locally made products,” he said.
