Graham Chennells and son Richard, started a microbrewery in a shed at the George Hotel in Eshowe in 1997. In 2010 their ale, Zulu Blonde, won the best beer award at the 2010 Real Ale Festival in the UK. This year it has sold out faster than any other beer at the JD Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival held across the UK. It took quite a few tries before the perfect recipe was found. In 2005 Richard spent nine months at the American Brewers Guild in California. Back in Eshowe he made some changes to the recipe and Zulu Blonde was born. The initial marketing campaign involved Richard driving a Land Rover (The Wandering Keg) to golf days and introducing the beer around Eshowe. In 2006 his mother died and his father started spending more time overseas. Just when Richard thought the beer wouldn't take off as expected, he was invited to be a guest brewer at the UK 2010 festival.
He brewed the ale at Marstons Brewery in Burton-on-Trent to supply 800 pubs for the JD Wetherspoons festival, where it was sold out in the first week of the three-week festival. He was invited back to the UK to brew 120 000 pints at Everards Brewery in Leicester to supply the pub chain in time for the 2010 World Cup Kick off. He recently returned from the Real Ale Festival in Edinburgh, where he brewed 100 000 pints at Caledonian Brewery. On the way there, he flew via Dubai where he had time for a braai in the desert.
Graham has been mayor of Eshowe, is a Rotarian, businessman, brewmaster, paratrooper, farmer and retired sportsman. Richard has worked in the tourism industry and did a brew masters course through The American Brewers Guild in 2005. He also worked at the London Stock Exchange, Barclays Capital and Bank of America
