Selwyn Parker takes a look at one of the hottest properties in the global liqueur market: a classic African staple that's in the ascendancy

In February, when the sun is at its hottest in the Limpopo Valley, the Zulu tribes of the region fan out over a vast area to harvest the fruit of the wild-growing marula tree. Light yellow in colour when ripe, the fruit gives off a distinctive fragrance that is irresistible to the herds of elephants which have, since time immemorial, come to gorge on it at the height of the African summer. But first they have to shake it off the top-most branches, hence its unofficial title of the "elephant tree".

Once plucked by the gatherers, the plum-sized, succulent fruit is trucked back to the villages for pulping in modern, highly efficient plants. This is the first stage of the two-year production process of Amarula Cream, the uniquely African liqueur that won Gold, Best in Class, at last year's International Wine and Spirit Competition, recognised worldwide as the most rigorous contest of its kind and the one that sets the standard for the drinks industry. However it is just one, albeit the highest, of many international prizes that the brand has won since its launch 20 years ago, including that of best liqueur in the 2008 Overseas Living luxury lifestyle awards.

That recognition has boosted sales around the world and this year marked another milestone - the number of countries in which Amarula Cream is sold topped a hundred for the first time. In some European nations such as Germany, sales are growing by 25 percent a year, and they are not far behind in Scandinavia where it was recently introduced. Not even exported until the mid-nineties, Amarula Cream is now the second biggest-selling liqueur in the world after Bailey's, long the runaway market-leader.

In the heartland of Africa The story of the liqueur hails from the heartland of Africa. Almost uniquely in its category, the liqueur is made from real fruit. The marula trees grow wild. Their uncultivated state is said to produce the best-tasting fruit, as the elephants would vouch. The tree, which can tower 15 metres high, occupies a firm place in African legend for the fruit's powers of healing. This is not myth - the fruit's protein-rich nut is used in the manufacturer of rejuvenating cosmetics, in cooking and even as medicine in the form of nose drops for infants. "We wanted to create something that was uniquely African, based on products that were truly indigenous," explains Werner Swanepoel.

Distell Group, then better known for whisky, brandy and wine, could hardly have selected a more authentic source for its new drink. Like the legendary boabab, the marula tree is as old as the continent itself. The Zulus believed the fruit possesses aphrodisiacal qualities, as indeed it probably does in the half-fermented condition of much of the fallen fruit. They also knew it as the "marriage tree" and to this day wedding ceremonies are conducted al fresco under its branches. "The Distell group already had liqueur-making expertise", explains Mr Swanepoel. "All we had to do was to learn how to add the fresh cream."

Production process
Thus the fruit was distilled and produced under conditions similar to wine-making - first in column stills, then in copper pot stills. Finally, it was matured in small oak casks. Africa's first home-produced cream liqueur was launched in 1989 in a market dominated by foreign-produced brands. That did not particularly concern Distillers Corporation, as the firm was then known before its 2000 merger with Stellenbosch Farmers Winery, an even longer-established firm with a similar history of producing heartland products rooted in South Africa's past such as Klipdrift brandy, Allesverloren ("all is lost") wines, Chateau Libertas, Grunberger, Nederburg and the 122 year-old Sedgwick's Old Brown Sherry.

All of them reflect the nation's multi-faceted settlement by Germans, Dutch, French and English among others. As it happened, Amarula Cream was the group's first brand to tap the nation's African heritage, and it took off. Within a few years, the liqueur overtook the foreign competition in its home market where it accounts today for a massive 67 per cent of sales in the category. As Mr Swanepoel adds: "It's become our brand, the African brand. It belongs to us." And as every South African knows, you don't visit compatriots abroad without bringing a bottle of Amarula Cream.

For evidence of the drink's place in the nation's life, look no further than the "springbokkie". This is the drink that is almost obligatory when the national rugby team, likewise named after the gazelle that is South Africa's national emblem, takes to the field against the foreign foe. An aromatic mix of a peppermint liqueur and Amarula Cream, it is green and gold - the national colours. It is said that a bar or pub without Amarula Cream does not deserve to be in business. Since the launch of the award-winning brand in its home country, Distell has not been slow to produce other drinks that conjure up the broader African continent. Two Oceans is a wine label reflecting the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans at the foot of Africa. While Savanna premium cider is named for the vast grasslands.

The elephant wins
The success of the liqueur has not only made it Distell group's flagship international product, it has also helped the company give something back to the community from where it originated. A percentage of the profits go into the support of creches, clinics and schools in the large area of between 250-300 kilometres in circumference where it is harvested. Generally the company launches the projects within a community trust - "section 21" companies known as Mirnas where executives sit alongside tribal chiefs - before eventually transferring them into local hands. As for the elephant, it is perhaps the biggest beneficiary. Distell has for years pumped millions of rand into the Kenya Wildlife Service and the University of KwaZulu-Natal's research programme under professor Rob Slotow.

The latter is a conservation-based exercise that has performed valuable work in understanding the impact of herds in their natural habitat. Thus it has yielded insights into the effect of the elephant population across a wide range of reserves including the Kruger Park and has proved vital in the management of the herds for their own benefit. As Mr Swanepoel explains, Distell is guided entirely by the university in how the money is spent: "The programme is about maintaining nature for our children in the years to come."

Natural conservation
As for the fruit of the marula tree, there's still plenty left behind for the elephants and the other animals. Only 15 percent is harvested for cream liqueur or other purposes. Indeed the female tree, which bears the fruit, is outrageously productive. It can deliver two tons every year, and often under the most severe of conditions. Thus this summer, as in countless earlier summers, sniffing the scent in the breeze, the elephant herds will begin their days-long journey into the valley in search of their favourite fruit. "People often ask us why there's an elephant on the label," says Mr Swanepoel. Now you know.