FOODPRENEURSHIP MONTHLY

Fifth edition

What to look out for!!

The theme to this edition is Celebrating Indigenous Food inspired by the Africa Day celebration, observed on the 25th May. The Theme for Africa day was the celebration of Africa’s foods, their diversity and nutritional value - Year of Nutrition.

Topics covered: 

*What is indigenous food?

*We feature three of our amazing entrepreneurs who use indigenous plants to produce their products

* An educational piece from Dietician and author of Eat Ting. 

* An exciting and impactful venture we launched in Alexandra township

*In partnership with the Department of Tourism and SEDA, 12 entrepreneurs who had been part of the Chefpreneur Programme had an opportunity to participate in the Africa's Travel Indaba 2022

Ever heard of indigenous food!

Indigenous Food Plants are plants of indigenous origin i.e. which naturally belong to an area, added to those are plants and crops that were introduced into the country and are now recognized as naturalized or traditional crops 

Food is the edible expression of culture, earliest memories and the land we live in

Food culture refers to skills, knowledge, practices, rules, and sentiments surrounding food systems, from the landscape to the table, including crops, harvesting, fishing, hunting, conservation, processing, preparation, and consumption of food. 

Mopani Superfoods

For many years, we had Mopani insects being consumed in our homelands. It has always been part of a staple diet in many rural areas in South Africa. 

Fortified meals through the innovation of South African indigenous crops

Lungelo decided to come up with an in-house policy institution, TACTPAM, meaning tactical farmer. ..

Female grain farmer changing odds in the agricultural sector

Sorghum is a gluten-free grain that is lactose intolerant and preserves healthy digestive systems. It is a good source of dietary fibre and antioxidants.

We are pleased to introduce to you “Gcwalisa”

Gcwalisa is a container based retail outlet with branded refill dispensers that allows customers to buy a selected of basic staple food items through a ‘weigh and pay’ model. Gcwalisa containers are strategically located in the most food insecure communities such as township and rural areas. It provides individuals who are either food insecure or at risk of being food insecure the opportunity to by staple food products with any amount of money that they have at their disposal. Goods are dispensed into reusable containers which will significantly reduce the use single-use plastics in these communities. The stores are run by community leaders, specifically women who run community-based organizations. Gcwalisa recently launched it’s first outlet on the 27^th of April outlining it’s mission to democratise the food system.

For more information follow Gcwalisa on Instagram: gcwalisa_sa #wakandaforever#endinghunger#makingachange@gcwalisa_sa 

Being part of the Africa's Travel Indaba 2022

We are excited to have been part of this year's Africa Travel Indaba! Together with the Department of Tourism and SEDA, we took 12 entrepreneurs who had been part of the Chefpreneur Programme to the Indaba in order to give them market access opportunities. We are proud that 2 baristas, 2 sommeliers and 8 chefs from the programme attended the indaba and show cased their skills at the ATI stands.  When COVID-19 hit, workers in the hospitality industry immediately lost their jobs as hotels closed and travel was banned. The indaba was a great signal that the industry is opening up and providing opportunities for workers and small businesses integrated in the sector.

We also took the opportunity to host the official launch and graduation ceremony of the Chefpreneur Programme which was held in at the breath-taking rooftop bar, Legacy Yard, in Umhlanga Arch. The event was a success with attendance from Deputy ministers, local officials and other dignitaries. Amid all the challenges in KZN at the time of the indaba, our role as a food business accelerator and small business developer was more clearer. We look forward to working with DoT again to support and build more small businesses in the hospitality sector through our acceleration programme.