Transforming visions to reality, we craft bespoke experiences inspired by you.
Mpinji: [ˈmpin/tʃ/i] “mpintchee”: meaning a closefriend or companion, often used in a casual and informal contextin Zulu.
We see all our travellers as friends; for the singular reason that we will introduce you to all of our friends. These friends are movers and shakers, change-makers, and taste-makers in their respective spaces. At Mpinji, we will serve as your facilitator to more.
We (a black South African wine maker, and a half American hand South African travel industry consultant) started Mpinji to address the rising requirements of black diaspora and inclusivity-minded travellers. We found that companies in the space are/were not catering to this population segment and what makes them excited, feel safe, feel heard, and understood in their travel arrangements. We exist to promote diversity of people, experiences, and voices, in all the destinations we operate in. We prioritise booking sustainable suppliers who take this commitment seriously and who are attuned to or wanting to grow their diversity of guests.
We work with extremely closely with local experts and tastemakers (artists, wine-makers, fashion designers, chefs, creatives, craftspeople, etc) to design all our experiences. They interact with the guests across the experiences to make these experiential and to in-turn directly support these tastemakers. All our guides lead through story-telling, bringing places and interests to life. We are driven by upliftment that serves with dignity and long-term vision.
Meet the team
Hardy McQueen
Community builder with 20+ years experience across African markets. An expert in culture, he's executed projects in music, F&B, hospitality, fashion and art across major African cities. Chef turned founder of Smorgasbord, an F&B consultancy focusing on diversity and inclusion with an in-house incubator. Successfully incubated businesses include Nice Beverage Co, Good Juice Wine Fair and now Mpinji Expeditions.
Hardy also advises various businesses across the F&B, tech, tourism, and culture spaces. Investments into various projects is through Jonith Ventures - promoting cap table diversity and leverages its global network of cultural tastemakers on opportunities for investment in African founded business.
Lindsay van Melle Kamp
14+ years on intra and entrepreneurial growth; past roles include Founder, Product Manager, and Head of Business Development within the luxury travel industry, as well as Chief Growth Officer and Head of Partnerships and Projects in the tech and creative industries. Lindsay has a strong, constantly growing, network in the travel industry and brings a unique blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and cross-industry problem solving approach to every collaboration.
Her passion for helping brands thrive in the travel space is evident in the tailored solutions she crafts in business, representation, and product development consulting. Lindsay is committed to building strong partnerships that fuel growth, success, upliftment and which promote diversity and inclusion.
Ready to bring your travel dreams to life?
Feel free to contact us via email or fill out our contact form to discuss the details for your upcoming event. We’re excited to work with you and turn your ideas into an exceptional experience!