Heidi Bottcher picked up her first taste for science not in a lab, but at the Cape Town Expo for Young Scientists, where she racked up Gold medals in 2014, 2015 and 2017, a Dawes Trophy for Best Scientific Research, Silver at the Johannesburg and Taiwan International Science Fairs, and a Royal Society of Chemistry Scholarship for good measure. Naturally, this went straight to her head, and she decided the only logical next step was a full-blown science career.
At Rhodes University, she completed her undergrad in Microbiology and Biochemistry, followed by Honours in Biotechnology — serious, deadline-heavy stuff. So naturally, her favourite way to escape it all was to sneak off and brew beer — either the world’s best coping mechanism or a genius career move. That escape turned into a full-blown obsession with fermentation, one she’s already brought to IntervarsityBrew itself, first as a Rhodes Delegate in 2024, then as Rhodes Team Leader in 2025.
Along the way, Heidi also captained the Rhodes Rowing Team, chaired it the following year, served as an SRC Councillor and Senior Student, and picked up leadership and general excellence honours in Rhodes’ Top 100. Turns out leading a boat crew and leading a fermentation to completion require the same skill set: patience, timing, and knowing exactly when to intervene before things go horribly wrong. Which is exactly why, when Heineken came calling, she dropped her Biotechnology Master’s mid-stride to pursue fermentation for real, this time with a management title attached.
These days, Heidi is a Management Trainee in Cellars at Heineken’s Springs Cidery, where she gets paid to think about fermentation on an industrial scale — technically cider, not beer, but her enthusiasm doesn’t know the difference. She’s thrilled to bring her energy and cellar-floor experience back to IntervarsityBrew in 2026.