Online Reporter
H-Metro Correspondent
AT this year’s Econet Victoria Falls Marathon, amid the pounding feet and cheering crowds, something refreshing stole the spotlight —not a record time, but a revitalising gulp of baobab smoothie from a Zimbabwean brand reshaping the country’s wellness culture.
Yanaya, a rising force in the local health food industry, brought its signature plant-based energy and Afrocentric philosophy to the marathon in the form of a Lifestyle Refueling Station.
It’s an innovative, pop-up wellness hub that offers smoothies, millet energy bites, herbal infusions, and real-time nutritional inspiration to runners and spectators alike.
“We weren’t just here to serve smoothies,” said Nyaradzo Dhliwayo Moyo, founder and CEO of Yanaya.
“We were here to prove that our traditional ingredients — baobab, nyemba, moringa—can power performance, fuel recovery and inspire pride in who we are. This is what wellness looks like when it’s local and unapologetic.”
In a country where rising health concerns, like diabetes, hypertension, and stress are taking centre stage, Yanaya is providing an alternative that feels both modern and ancestral.
With its smoothie bars, clean food offerings and detox programmes, Yanaya has become a go-to for urban Zimbabweans seeking balance, energy, and flavour.
“We saw a gap in the market, yes,” Dhliwayo Moyo said.
“But more importantly, we saw a cultural opportunity to reconnect people with the foods of their land and the vitality of their bodies.”
Trained in South Africa and inspired by her own transition to a plant-based lifestyle, Dhliwayo Moyo returned to Zimbabwe with a simple yet bold idea — to make healthy food easy, accessible, and proudly African. Yanaya was born.
As more Zimbabweans embrace fitness, mental wellness, and clean eating, Yanaya is poised to scale even further.
“This is just the beginning,” Dhliwayo Moyo said.
“Our vision is to see wellness become a way of life for every Zimbabwean not something extra, but something essential.”
