A childhood of poverty and homelessness inspired young entrepreneur Teboho Twala to make a new mainstream beer to revolutionise the rather monopolised beer industry.

Twala, 35, who resides in Dainfern, Johannesburg, will next month launch Revo Premium Draught with a production of 1000 litres of 440ml cans to be distributed at selected stores to whet the market’s appetite.

A mass production would take place early next year for a national distribution.

His beer uses the marketing tag-line “Bold, Aspirational and Revolutionary”. It has a potent alcohol volume of 5.8% .

Twala, a former chemical engineering student at the University of Johannesburg and an ex-employee at SA Breweries, explained that the tag-line was inspired by his childhood in the Free State where he lived as a street kid for two years in the 1990s.

Added to this was a need to break the norm in the SA brewing industry, which is largely monopolised – choking many craft beer brewers.

“I’m taking a very bold step here. I want to create a good mainstream beer and it’s a scary thought because I’d be taking on big giants,” he said.

“But it’s exciting at the same time. I want to revolutionise the industry and be the first black man in South Africa to create a successful commercial beer.

“I want to inspire those kids that are currently in the position that I was in in my childhood. I want those kids in the township who dream of living in Johannesburg and own property here to know that it can be done,” he said.