South Africa’s Tapi Tapi Ice Cream is a Vegan Revelation and Revolution

Tapiwa Guzha is on a mission to rehabilitate local flavors and present a delicious alternative to our current food systems

Yolisa Qunta
Tenderly
Published in
6 min readJan 7, 2020

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Photos provided by Tapiwa Guzha

When Tapiwa Guzha started making delicious, artisanal vegan ice cream using local flavors, it was to satisfy more than a sweet craving. The 33-year-old’s plant-based ice cream is delivered by motorbike to happy customers every weekend in Stellies & Cape Town. The business — Tapi Tapi — is part of his dream to shape a new kind of future, using food as a catalyst for change in South Africa and beyond.

I have always been fascinated by revolutions. As a child of South African freedom fighters, I spent most of my childhood in exile. Today’s revolutions are increasingly complex, subtle, and global. Those working to revolutionize our food systems often work in roundabout, intimate ways that don’t always look revolutionary at first glance — engaging all at once with culture, capitalism, memory, hope, and their visions for a better future. Tapiwa Guzha is one of those revolutionaries, in his own quiet but resolute way.

“Tapi Tapi is focused on rehabilitating the self-esteem of people from the continent about our food…

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Yolisa Qunta
Tenderly

Writes nonfiction books, articles and spicy tweets. South African based freelance writer and editor with international bylines. My dog thinks I’m awesome.