To a tea: Retang Phaahla, winner of the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award
On a crisp Johannesburg evening lit by candlelight, champagne bubbles and ancestral whispers, Retang Phaahla stepped onto the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award stage with the quiet poise of someone who has carried a vision through soil and storm.
Her acceptance was tender, unforced. She did not shout her victory. Instead, she let it rise like the steam from a freshly brewed cup of her signature Tepane tea.
The award, established in 1972, is not just a global celebration of female entrepreneurship, it’s a mirror to Madame Clicquot herself, a pioneering widow who, in the early 1800s, took over her late husband’s wine business and turned it into a champagne empire.
It recognises contemporary women who, like Madame Clicquot, lead with audacity, innovation and purpose. In South Africa, where history and heritage run deep, Phaahla’s win was more than a nod to her business acumen. It was a triumph of legacy, community and reclamation.
Phaahla is the co-founder and CEO of Setsong Tea Crafters, a purpose-led company rooted in the indigenous knowledge systems of the Bapedi people of Sekhukhune in Limpopo.
Together with her mother, and now her brother, she has transformed ancestral know-how into a global-facing wellness brand and done so with radical reverence for the land and the people who have always known its value.
“I’m still soaking it all in,” she says, her voice soft yet unwavering. “To take that brave step as an entrepreneur, to build something out of Indigenous knowledge … this award is validating. It reminds me that the work we’re doing is not just important, it’s necessary.”
For Phaahla, boldness is not loudness. It is not ego. It is choosing to lead with purpose, especially when the path is uncharted.
She did not set out to build a tea empire. In fact, she thought she was simply helping her mother formalise a small idea, a humble act of service from daughter to mother.
But soon, she realised that she was standing on sacred ground. The teas they were experimenting with — Tepane (black bush tea) and Diya (red root tea), held more than flavour. They held memory, wisdom, healing.
“These plants have been used for over a hundred years in our community,” she says. “Long before laboratories. Long before packaging. Our elders knew their value and how they supported immunity, digestion, hormonal balance. When we finally did lab testing, the results affirmed everything our people had always known.”
The affirmation didn’t end in the lab. It echoed into boardrooms and buyers’ meetings, into supermarket shelves and online carts.
Today, Setsong is stocked at Food Lover’s Market nationwide, several Spar stores in Pretoria and Johannesburg and is completing its listing with Dis-Chem. You can also find it on Takealot, Makro online and Setsong’s own e-commerce platform.
Setsong’s main production site is not in an industrial estate or office park. It’s on inherited land in Sekhukhune, where seven rondavels once stood — built by Phaahla’s grandfather and used by generations of family members.
When she and her mother began building their tea business, they didn’t have the capital to construct a modern facility, so they did what many entrepreneurs are afraid to do — they used what they had.
“We renovated the rondavels into food-safe tea-processing units,” she explains. “Each one now serves a purpose in our value chain, from drying and blending to packaging and dispatch.
“Outside, they look like traditional rondavels but, inside, they meet all industry standards.”
It is a perfect metaphor for Setsong’s approach which is modern sophistication wrapped in ancestral dignity.
The rondavels are referred to as the “tea village”, where young villagers walk barefoot between pieces of modern stainless-steel equipment, working with the leaves their grandmothers once brewed at dawn.
The transformation hasn’t only been infrastructural. It’s been social. Setsong is a registered social enterprise — 49% of it is owned by two local cooperatives — ensuring that the benefits of the business flow directly back to the community.
Her mother continues to be the heart of that social arm.
“She’s a community builder at heart,” Retang says proudly. “She ensures that we remain rooted in our values and in sustainability, upliftment and legacy. That has allowed me to focus on innovation, market growth and scaling the business.”
It’s a mother-daughter partnership that’s less about hierarchy than harmony. And, with her brother on board handling legal and governance, the family’s vision is evolving into a multi-generational force.
What sets Setsong apart isn’t only its origin story or its social architecture. It’s Phaahla’s ability to listen — really listen to her customers.
“As a Millennial, I knew we needed to meet modern consumers where they are,” she says. “People want wellness solutions that feel good and taste good.”
So, she went into her kitchen and began infusing tradition with innovation. Today, Setsong offers a wide range of flavoured brews — lemon, ginger and berry Detox Tea; orange, ginger and turmeric Calming Tea, strawberry and fennel Sleepy Tea and orange spiced Immunity Tea, to name a few.
And all of it starts with the base of Tepane or Diya, deeply rooted in African soil and wisdom.
In a market saturated with luxury wellness brands, Setsong offers something different — a product that is aspirational without being extractive, luxurious without losing its soul.
“Consumers are increasingly seeking out brands that have a conscience,” Phaahla says. “They want to know that their money is supporting something meaningful.
“That’s where our social model aligns perfectly with our brand.”
It’s a careful balancing act, to scale while staying grounded. But Retang believes the two are not opposites. They are partners.
“We divide the roles intentionally. My mom safeguards the soul. I drive the scale.”
Now that the champagne toasts have settled and the bold woman trophy sits on her shelf, Phaahla is focused on growth.
Setsong is expanding into more local and international markets, including the hospitality and corporate sectors. But she’s also thinking beyond products. On their farm, they’ve launched tea tours, immersive experiences for tourists to witness the story behind the brew.
And personally? “I’m working on myself as a businesswoman,” she says. “I’m excited for the mentorship opportunities that come with this award. There’s always more to learn and powerful women to learn from.”
When I ask her which tea to recommend for my diabetic mother, she doesn’t hesitate. “Go for the Red Root Calming Tea, the one with orange, ginger and turmeric. It helps with blood sugar and turmeric helps bind glucose.”
She says it with the conviction of a healer and the finesse of a CEO. In a world that often asks women to choose between being soulful and being strategic, Phaahla has chosen both — and that is truly bold.