Against all odds, the founder of Warona Food Enterprise (Pty) Ltd., Bokang Lehloenya, rose above it all by starting her business in March 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, with nothing but student funding.
Lehloenya started by producing 20 500 ml bottles of Wa Rona-Motoho wa Sebele, a traditional soft porridge, and selling it within and around her community.
She received financial support from the Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Destea), and a grant to purchase a delivery vehicle to help her reach her clients and grow her business further.
Lehloenya approached the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), which assisted her with the nutritional value summary of her product, used to describe to consumers the amount of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and energy absorbed during digestion.
She went to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), where she attended a one-week training session and received a certificate allowing her to apply for further assistance. The agency also assisted her with a two-door fridge and a Wendy house to operate her business from.
Lehloenya never stopped with the pursuit to uplift her business. She approached local supermarkets around Welkom to allow her product on their shelves. Three mainstream businesses agreed, but she could not meet their supply demand.
They requested a minimum of 500 bottles per day, whereas she could only supply 100 bottles due to transportation challenges and insufficient stock.
Due to her inability to produce enough stock, she approached Destea for further assistance and was provided with enough funds to buy a bakkie, additional stock, and payment processes to ensure that her products are approved by the South Africa Bureau of Standards (SABS).
Lehloenya now has five employees and is able to produce 500 bottles for local supermarkets.
She supplies to the Roots store in the Welkom CBD, and Roots Manny’s and Waltloo in Virginia. Lehloenya still wants to fulfil her dream of employing more people and increasing her supply.
On 18 November, she won the Business Start of the Year award at the 2023 National Presidential SMME and Cooperatives award ceremony and was awarded R100 000.
Vista has introduced a new initiative to highlight and promote the true blue entrepreneurs in our communities. Kasi Hustlers will showcase the brilliant minds who have adapted to survive in the prevailing poor economic conditions. Contact Nonkululeko Ngubeni on 057-357-1304.
