From Kenya to the World: Traditional alcoholic beverage Muratina hits UK market

KENYA – A traditional Kenyan alcoholic beverage, Muratina, has made its way into major retail outlets in the United Kingdom.

Muratina Limited, an England and Wales registered company has launched the drink in the overseas market under the brand name Muratelia.

According to the company, the signature name is a combination of the traditional name Muratina and the scientific name of the fruit used to traditionally brew the drink known as Kigelia Africana or popularly referred to as “Sausage tree”.

This was revealed by Kenya’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Manoah Esipisu, in a tweet saying, “The central Kenyan traditional alcoholic drink ‘Muratina’ is now available on UK supermarket shelves, bottled in the UK by Othaya-born businessman King’ori Wambaki, now of Cheshunt, north of London, who is targeting the expansion of Kenyan products in the UK market.”

Coming in a black and gold champagne-like bottle, Muratelia is a refreshing beverage that pairs with red meat and salad to offer a sweetened velvet sensation of exotic fruits and honey, according to an inscription on the bottle.

The wine, which has a 12 percent alcohol content is marketed as a honey spiced wine according to its tagline “Mvinyo bora wa Asali”.

Wambaki told a UK-based blog that the drink is made using UK-sourced ingredients and condiments as they have not yet reached a point of importing raw materials from its original home-land, Kenya.

Muratina is a sweet-sour traditional Kenyan beverage with considerable social, cultural and economic significance. It is brewed alongside other traditional beverages such as busaa, changaa, and miti. 

This traditional alcoholic drink has been passed down through the generations and plays an undisputed role in almost all social functions in Kikuyu culture, including births, initiations, marriages, and other special occasions.