African Foods

Ukuva iAfrica brings the intrigue and exotic food, wine and spice tastes of Africa and South Africa home to the world with a fascinating collection of delicious and amazingly versatile sauces. In the last decade, the appreciation of flavorful foods has grown greatly, lead by the savory dishes of the Mediterranean, fragrant Pan-Pacific cuisine, and a tremendous interest in fiery foods from chilies to piquant hot sauces. Ukuva iAfrica introduces new rich and unique taste's and flavours from the fascinating dark continent of Africa.

Ukuva iAfrica is the "Sense of Africa", translated from the Xhosa language. Ukuva iAfrica embodies the experience of Africa, from the handcrafted wrapped bottle created by Shona artist Joe Mufundi, to the brilliant hues and seasonings of the delectable sauces. The beauty of this product is not only in its artful appearance and compelling flavor, but in its adaptability. As in Africa, these delectable flavorings can be added to nearly anything. From instant dips to infused marinades to refreshing salad dressings, the possibilities are limited only by the chef's imagination.

The stories of the Traveler on the back labels detail the discovery of these wonderful sauces. The Traveler, the founder of Ukuva iAfrica, roamed the continent in search of African recipes, intending to compile a book. These products are the first four created from recipes in the book that is yet to be.

After tremendous success in the United Kingdom, Holland, France and South Africa, Ukuva iAfrica now introduces their sauces to the world market. This eye-catching product has extensive retailing flexibility, appropriate for a gourmet deli, meat, poultry and produce department or with dry-line barbecue and meat sauces. The distinctive packaging is matched by the exceptional quality of the product within. Though often initially purchased as a gift, once the consumer experiences the unique and superior flavors these sauces impart to almost any prepared food, they will return to try all four.

South African Spices



Ukuva iAfrica was formed in March of 1996. The product line to date resulted from the selection of four recipes from the draft of a book I decided to write around 15 years ago, titled "recipes from the Rugsack" (still in draft).

Having been in the restaurant industry for the past 15 years, with breaks for traveling around the world, I decided that the most interesting, original and tastiest recipes to be found were in genuine "Street Food", ranging from a home-made Hotdog vendor's relish to bustling New York's Central Park, to Old "Timbos" famous "Fire Sauce" on a desolate beach, South of the Mozambique border in darkest Africa.

In 1991, I decided to pack the family, leave London and move permanently to probably the most beautiful city in the world, Cape Town in sunny South Africa. It was here under the shadow of Table Mountain on warm African nights, with guests gathered around an open fire ("Braai's") that the suggestion was made on many occasions that "you should stick that stuff in a bottle and sell it".

Ukuva iAfrica, translated from the tribal Xhosa language means "The Senses of Africa". The four products currently available, represent the "Taste Sense" of Africa. In the future, I will make more "Rugsack" recipes available to the world, so that all may try the unique and interesting flavors that the wonderful, mysterious and vast continent of Africa has to offer.

The production facilities in Cape Town facilitate job creation which utilizes the talents of the previously unemployed people of South Africa. Included here, are over 150 very talented handicapped craft workers, under the auspices of "Cape Mental Health Society". We are honored to be associated with them and proud to be able to assist in this worthy cause.

South African Wines



On my countless travels through the dark continent, many of the women of several tribes, like the Ndebele, Zulu's, and Xhosa's, wear silver rings around their necks. The Ndebele women traditionally adorned themselves with a variety of ornaments, each symbolising her status in society. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs and neck, symbolising her bond and faithfulness to her husband, She would only remove the rings after his death. The rings (called idzila) were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. Today, it is no longer common practice to wear these rings permanently and are now only used as jewelry and adornment at celebratory gatherings.

This image of African beauty was the inspiration for the Ukuva look. I proceeded to design a crude example and took it to Joe Mufundi, who is a famous "Shona" (tribe) artist, living in Cape Town and asked him to perfect the first sample. The result was a beautiful hand made work of art - Ukuva. I then designed the labels which are intended to capture the spirit and beauty of the rural Africans at work and which represents the "look and feel" of a beautiful product made in an African mud hut. All the necks are made and connected by hand by the handicapped people in the townships of South Africa.

Ukuva iAfrica is committed to the job creation and upliftment of the handicapped and disadvantaged people of South Africa, who work with us to create a beautiful product in the true spirit of Africa.
Nigel Wood
A Traveler