Zimbabwean Groceries and Food Shops in the UK: Where to Find Sadza, Matemba, Mazoe and Home Favourites

For Zimbabweans in the UK, finding the foods of home — proper sadza, matemba, Mazoe Orange Crush, or a packet of Lobels biscuits — was once a mission requiring a trip to a specialist African market, often in a major city. That has changed significantly. A growing network of online Zimbabwean food retailers now ships directly to your door across mainland UK, making it far easier to keep a taste of home on the table regardless of where you live. ## Online Retailers Worth Knowing **Zim Foods (zimfoods.co.uk)** — Based in Birmingham, Zim Foods is one of the most established online Zimbabwean grocery stores in the UK. Their range covers maize meal and roller meal for sadza, Colcom polony, Cerevita (including chocolate malt and banana flavours), Lobels biscuits (lemon creams, vanilla creams, custard creams, Bermuda creams), Royco Usavi Mix in both chicken and beef varieties, Family Peanut Butter, and fresh mauyu (baobab fruit). They also offer wholesale options — a box of 24 Cerevita units, for instance — useful for families buying in bulk or community groups. Customer reviews note reliable tracking and delivery within a week for pre-orders. **Happy Hippo Foods (hippofoods.co.uk)** — This retailer focuses strongly on grains, pulses, and staples. Their range includes Mugaiwa Roller Meal (5kg), white maize kernels, pearl millet, finger millet (zviyo), sugar beans, samp (manhuchu), kapenta in 200g packs, and matemba. They also stock Mazoe drinks and offer free delivery on orders over £60, with goods typically dispatched the next working day. **GazMart (gazmart.co.uk)** — Established in 2018, GazMart describes itself as a supplier of Zimbabwean home foods with a stated aim of making these products affordable rather than charging the premium that specialist shops often do. Their stock includes Mazoe, Willards Thingz, Lobels biscuits, and other Zimbabwean staples. **Hungwe Tuckshop (hungwetuckshop.co.uk)** — Operating out of Woolwich Arsenal in London, Hungwe offers both online ordering and collection. Their range spans groceries, snacks, drinks, and African fabrics. Notably, they stock madora (mopane worms), Savanna Dry Cider, Hunters Gold Cider, Iwisa Super Maize Meal in 10kg bags, and freezits. They also run city-to-city delivery on occasion — worth contacting them directly for schedules. **Zim Tuck Shop (zimtuckshop.co.uk)** — Stocks a range of Shemark-branded traditional Zimbabwean products including matemba/kapenta, powdered derere (okra), mawuyu/baobab fruit pulp, mutsine/black jack teas, and mahewu. For those who want traditional indigenous ingredients beyond the mainstream grocery staples, this is a useful specialist source. **The South African Spaza Shop (southafricanshop.uk)** — While South Africa-focused, this retailer stocks several Zimbabwean products including Mazoe Cream Soda, Mazoe Orange Crush, Willards Thingz, and Royco Mchuzi Mix in chicken and beef original flavours. **4 Way Foods (4wayfoods.com)** — A broader African and Caribbean grocery retailer that stocks Iwisa Super Maize Meal (5kg at around £8.70), suitable for making sadza, with UK-wide delivery. ## What You Can Typically Find Across these retailers, the following Zimbabwean products are generally available in the UK: - **Sadza staples**: Roller meal, white maize meal (Mugaiwa, Iwisa), white maize kernels - **Protein and relish ingredients**: Matemba/kapenta, madora (mopane worms), sugar beans, peanut butter (dovi) - **Grains and pulses**: Pearl millet, finger millet (zviyo), samp, sorghum, red and brown rice - **Beverages**: Mazoe Orange Crush, Mazoe Cream Soda, mahewu, freezits - **Snacks and biscuits**: Willards Thingz, Lobels lemon creams, vanilla creams, custard creams, Bermuda creams, Charhons biscuits - **Breakfast**: Cerevita (banana and chocolate malt) - **Condiments and seasoning**: Royco Usavi Mix (chicken and beef), Rajah curry powder, Knorrox stock cubes, All Gold tomato sauce - **Traditional ingredients**: Mawuyu (baobab), derere (okra powder), mutsine (black jack tea), moringa tea - **Processed meats**: Colcom French polony - **Ciders**: Savanna Dry, Hunters Gold (via Hungwe) ## What Remains Hard to Find Chibuku Super (opaque beer) is not widely available through these online channels, largely due to its short shelf life and refrigeration requirements. Fresh produce such as chomolia, pumpkin leaves (muboora), or fresh matemba is rarely shipped online. For fresh African vegetables, local African and Caribbean markets in cities like London, Birmingham, Leicester, and Coventry remain the best option. ## Practical Tips - Most retailers offer next-day dispatch or delivery within three to five working days. Tracking is usually available. - Buying in larger quantities (5kg or 10kg maize meal, wholesale Cerevita boxes) brings the per-unit cost down considerably. - For London-based shoppers, Hungwe Tuckshop at Woolwich Arsenal allows collection, avoiding delivery waits entirely. - Stock levels fluctuate, particularly for popular items like Mazoe. It is worth signing up to retailer newsletters or checking back regularly. - Prices vary between retailers, so comparing before purchasing can save money, particularly on heavier staples like maize meal.