Product & Partnership Introduction
Kumba Guava Chilli Preserve
A Zimbabwe-rooted sweet-heat preserve. Fruit first. Heat with purpose.
Limited Kadoma Development Batch Available
Bringing home to your table.
From Gogo’s Tree
A preserve that carries home.
Kumba Guava Chilli Preserve began with Chef Mona’s memories of her grandmother’s guava tree in Zimbabwe—and the belief that food can carry memory, identity and home into new kitchens.
Mona was born in Kadoma. Her grandmother’s home was in Marlborough, Harare, where she lived throughout her life. That home, the tree and the memories surrounding it form the emotional root of the product.
Developed in London through the lived experience of the Zimbabwean diaspora, the preserve turns a familiar fruit into something made to travel across cultures, kitchens and tables.
“Home away from home—taking a piece of home with you.”
Available for Limited Pilot Supply
Kadoma Development Batch
- —Guava-juice-based working recipe
- —Fruit-forward sweet heat
- —Guava aroma first
- —Sweetness followed by gentle smoke
- —A clean, lingering chilli finish
- —Current 280ml jar format
- —Current micro-batch capacity: approximately 20 jars over two production days
- —Limited quantities available by enquiry
Kadoma is named after Mona’s birthplace and represents the beginning of the product journey. The first paid small batch sold out through the Kumba community.
Kadoma is currently available in limited quantities for direct orders, chef testing, hospitality trials and selected partner tastings. Availability is confirmed individually because production remains deliberately small.
Currently in Small-Batch R&D
The recipe, yield, shelf life, labelling, process controls and commercial unit economics are being standardised. This is a controlled development release—not yet a national retail or mass-wholesale launch.
Three places. One product finding its final home.
KADOMA
Current Limited Development Batch
Base
Guava juice
Purpose
The proven reference batch. Used to gather customer feedback, test versatility and understand demand.
Learning
Increase guava aroma, reduce unnecessary sweetness and improve body while retaining versatility.
HARARE
Next R&D Batch
Base
Real guava fruit
Purpose
To test what whole fruit changes across aroma, texture, body, yield, consistency and repeatability.
Availability
Not currently available for supply. It must first be produced, documented and assessed against Kadoma.
MARLBOROUGH
Intended Final Expression
Meaning
Named after Mona’s grandmother’s lifelong home in Marlborough, Harare.
Purpose
Marlborough will represent the final product expression once the strongest recipe, process and sourcing route have been validated.
Marlborough is the destination of the development journey—not yet a finished-product claim.
Flavour & Function
Made to move across the table.
Wings and grilled meats
Use as a glaze or finishing sauce.
Cheese and sharing boards
A fruit-led counterpoint to rich and salty flavours.
Bread and sandwiches
Spread, spoon or layer into an everyday meal.
Dressings and marinades
Loosen or blend into dressings, marinades and cooking sauces.
Guava chilli aioli
Blend into mayonnaise or aioli for burgers, boerie rolls and sharing plates.
Small on purpose. Built to learn.
Sold Out
The first paid small batch sold out through the Kumba community.
20 Jars
Current estimated micro-batch capacity across two focused production days.
From the Kumba Table
The preserve has been used through Kumba dining experiences, including wings, grilled meats, sauces and table pairings.
The next phase is controlled: fulfil existing orders, place a small number of thoughtful samples and build evidence before scaling.
From the Kumba Table
“Every jar carries a piece of home—and an invitation to gather.”
Taste it. Test it. Help shape what comes next.
Kumba is looking for a small group of aligned UK partners rather than pursuing a mass listing at this stage.
Independent Retail
An early conversation with stores that value provenance, flavour, founder-led products and considered small-batch development.
Current ask
Buyer tasting, feedback and a future pilot conversation.
Hospitality and Chefs
Testing the preserve through glazes, cheeseboards, sauces, sandwiches, cocktails or menu collaborations.
Current ask
Kitchen testing, product feedback and a small hospitality trial.
Gifting, Brands and Creators
Story-led tasting placements with people and brands whose audience genuinely aligns with Kumba’s values.
Current ask
Thoughtful tasting, content, feedback or a collaboration.
Pricing, minimum order quantities and wholesale terms will be confirmed after the chosen batch specification and full unit costs are finalised.
The North Star
From Gogo’s tree to greater value for Zimbabwean growers.
The ambition is for Kumba Guava Chilli Preserve to grow beyond a memory-led product and create meaningful commercial value connected to Zimbabwean farming and agriculture.
The long-term vision is to explore Zimbabwean guava sourcing, relationships with growers, value-added production and opportunities that allow more of the product’s economic value to remain connected to where its story began.
This is the direction of the business—not yet a current sourcing or farmer-partnership claim. The work now is to prove the product, process and market responsibly.
Let’s taste and talk.
If you are interested in tasting the Kadoma Development Batch, testing the preserve in your kitchen or discussing a future retail or brand partnership, I would love to hear from you.
Mona Chinembiri
Founder and Chef, Kumba
Rooted in heritage. Made to gather.