Despite a study that suggests that Pito plays a vital role in the prevention of diseases such as gastrointestinal disorders, inflammation, obesity, and hypertension, Pito consumers still suffer some public ridicule.
The beverage, according to Gerhard Alfred Holzapfel, an Austrian scientist, contains essential minerals such as zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe), which are good for body and tissue development.
However, Pito consumers on daily basis suffered public ridicule, to the extent that some people usually referred to them as backward people.
In a random interaction with some Pito consumers in the Bolgatanga Municipality over the weekend, they shared their sad stories with a1radioonline.com.
According to Mr. Akolgo Roland, a businessman, he noted that the disrespect against Pito consumers in his community has caused him to stop drinking it.
“I used to be a regular consumer; a day without a calabash of Pito was a day incomplete for me, but now I have stopped. Because I have realized that people who are not even better than me financially, disrespect me simply because of Pito. They say I drink Pito because I don’t have money to buy bottled drinks like Club beer. It is funny, but a big insult if you reason deep.”
Abanga Richard said: “My own brother, the one that follows me, just last week, insulted me that I shouldn’t always go and drink my cheap drink and come be smiling like a pig. Can you believe that? But the question I always ask is, what is the difference between Pito and their so-called beer. In the end, we all get tipsy. It is funny, but people undermine Pito consumers a lot.”
Timothy Sapak also noted that he is not a regular consumer of Pito, saying, “I usually hide and drink it anytime I feel like drinking it.”
But why will people undermine those who consume Pito to the extent of tagging them as backward people?
Richard Atiah, a beer bar operator noted that the packaging and the environment in which Pito is prepared could be the reason people undermine it and also disrespect the consumers.
According to him, if brewers or sellers of Pito could come up with innovative ways to make it appealing, the negative tagging of Pito consumers will soon disappear.
Rebecca Norbert, a trader, also called for the rebranding as well as adding new brewing skills.
Meanwhile, Pito is widely consumed as a ceremonial drink in the Upper Regions of Ghana and per studies, Pito has an alcoholic content of 2–3% with a pH range of 3.5–5.
Production of Pito usually entails malting, germination, drying, milling, malt extraction, boiling, cooling, and fermentation.
Source: a1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Moses Apiah|Ghana
