The origins of Muratelia comes from the traditional Kikuyu beverage called muratina
Traditional Muratina is a sweet-sour alcoholic beverage that is obtained by the fermentation
and is one of the traditional Kenyan beverages, which have considerable social, cultural and economic significance.
It is brewed alongside other traditional beverages such as Busaa, Changaa, and Miti. Traditional Muratina (along with other brews) are widely consumed by the low income earners, as the middle and high-income earners perceive them as unhygienic and despise them
Traditional beverage production may be considered an art because despite the applicable rudimentary technology, poor-hygene of brewing environments, raw material contamination and lack of scientific knowledge by the brewers, the processes however, are accomplished with great success.
The Sausage fruit - Kigelia Africana
The beverage Muratina is nicknamed after the sasuage tree fruit ‘Kigelia Africana’. The fruits usually weigh between 200 and 500g, measure 20 to 60cm in length, and 10 to 15cm in width.
In traditional manufacture they are prepared by halving the fruits longitudinally and boiling them repeatedly, while changing water every time. The fruits are essentially made into sponges to be used as yeast carriers for the brewing process.
The flowers only open at night and are pollinated by bats and hawk-moths. They are dark red, which is unusual for a bat-pollinated species (bats are normally attracted to white flowers), but the strong unpleasant smell of the flowers is thought to attract the bats instead
Muratelia Wine
With this history and current production of Muratina came the idea of creating Muratelia.
The name Muratelia is the combination of the traditional name Muratina and the scientific name of the fruit used in traditional manufacture,Kigelia Africana.
The beverage itself incorporates important mead wine characteristics such as the colour and taste which made it distinct and popular, as well as the current market intelligence to upgrade its qualities to fit current market demand.