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Nespresso ZA is partnering with rising culinary star Motheba Maketha to integrate Nespresso coffee into culinary experiences within the South African context while highlighting the exceptional talent of women in the culinary sector.

Currently the pastry sous chef at the prestigious Cape Grace hotel in Cape Town, Chef Maketha is considered more than a pastry chef – Eat Out magazine called her an “artist”, who “transforms desserts into unforgettable experiences”. Earlier this year she won the Eat Out Cacao Barry Dessert Award and travelled to the Cacao Barry® Or Noir™️ studio in France to create her own one-of-a-kind chocolate, the first chef from the African continent to do so.

Maketha hails from the hustle and bustle of Soweto, where her mother and grandmother first inspired her love of cooking. “My grandmother’s spirit fuels my passion,” she says. Maketha recounts how her mother taught her to cook eggs as a small child, and “from then on, I thought I was the best cook ever. The eggs were burnt half of the time, but my mom always said they were delicious,” she says.

“Seeing other women in the culinary space pushing themselves has been such an amazing thing to see,” she says. “You can really see a sense of self. You can picture yourself in a couple of years… Like, that could be me…” But, she adds, “it’s good to look up to people, but we shouldn’t emulate. That’s where we’ll fall short. We must always be authentically ourselves and stand in our power”.

Keep an eye out throughout this Women’s Month for a series of videos featuring Chef Motheba Makheta, chronicling her journey as a female chef in a traditionally male sphere and showcasing her culinary expertise as a chef renowned for merging unique flavours in the world of pastry with a deep passion for Nespresso coffee and local ingredients and produce.

Nespresso’s dedication to sustainability and equity-building globally extends beyond regenerating land, restoring ecosystems, and leading recycling efforts, to also include fostering diversity and promoting gender equality.

Nespresso's Gender Strategy for 2030 employs a gender-transformative approach to address gender inequality beyond just its symptoms. The strategy aims to facilitate more ambitious social change ...  because coffee can be a force for good.