Foodie Witsies

Witsie temptations

Blame it on Jamie Oliver and the Masterchef phenomenon. They’ve made food innovation sexy and everyone’s lapping it up – literally. And when it comes to trends and innovation, it’s no surprise there are Witsies in the mix. Ufrieda Ho checked in with some of them.

TANKISO MAKWELA & LOYISO BIKITSHA

KOTA KINGS

Kasi meets hipster; it’s how they roll at Kota Kings, says Tankiso Makwela (LLB 2012), one of the partners behind the Braamfontein foodie joint that’s bringing township tastes to the ’burbs.

Kotas are traditionally a quarter of a standard government loaf of bread, hollowed out and jammed with everything – chips, russians, viennas, atchar, eggs, cheese – it’s quintessential urban fast food. Loyiso Bikitsha (BCom) calls the kota “South Africa’s most-loved power sandwich” and believes that it deserves to have a far bigger fan base than township locals.

Tankiso and Loyiso, who met at Wits when they were pursuing degrees in law and marketing and management respectively, knew that the combination of food, business and the chance to put a creative spin on a kasi classic was what they wanted to invest in.

Tankiso says: “We have been friends for the longest time and getting into business together just seemed right.”

They had tried their hands at a business venture in Port Elizabeth but it went belly up. Even so, Tankiso says: “Failure in that business has actually made us more confident. It means we are up for whatever may still come our way.”

He and Loyiso say that having a common purpose and having the deepest respect for each other means they get through differences of opinion with their eye on the goal of growing their business. It’s essential in the notoriously fickle foodie space.

Kota Kings is a small, casual eatery in the heart of Braamfontein on Juta Street. This is a rejuvenated part of Joburg which attracts a trendy, young, urban set. For Tankiso, this is the ideal clientele to try their re-imagined kotas. Re-imagined is panini bread replacing government loaves and fillings like bacon and avo along with the regular kasi favourites.

Kota Kings underwent a relaunch at the beginning of August with new set menu items alongside the “make your own kota” option. They’ve also added colour to freshen up the décor.

But there’s more on the cards – the duo are looking to open a second branch in Jabulani Mall in Soweto by the end of the year. It means returning the kota to its kasi roots but bringing with it serious suburban swag. WR

CLEMMY AND DANIEL FORSTHOFER

TUTTO FOOD CO

Desk jobs can be a great way of finding out what you would rather be doing. Add serendipity and true grit, and you have Tutto Food Co.

The pair who own it are behind the giant pans of paella bubbling up most weekends across Johannesburg and the canary-yellow food truck that became an icon at festivals and events around Gauteng.

Back in 2011 the Forsthofers (both Witsies) were roped in by friends based in Cape Town to set up a paella stall at Neighbourgoods market in Braamfontein. A weekend gig allowed them to channel their passion for food while still keeping their day jobs.

“Gradually we started branching out to other markets and taking on private catering in our own capacity. That’s when we knew we had to take hold of the opportunity before us,” Clemmy says. As a full-time business they have had to stand out in a foodie scene that demands an artisan edge, fresh aesthetics and, above all, happy tummies.

For them, the spectacle of their enormous paella pans being fired up is food theatre at its best. Their philosophy is cooking from scratch and on site. Says Clemmy: “Our customers love being able to watch us put the food together and to see that it’s freshly prepared.”

Their food truck came next, popping up across the city, making them pioneers in changing the foodie scene and putting the emphasis on great food fast, not fast food. They admit there have been challenges, largely because city bylaws haven’t kept up with the trend of pop-ups, food trucks and the creative experimentation that urban life demands.

But Clemmy says: “When you own a business there is an enormous amount of pressure to make it work. As a married couple with no other source of income, our relationship was also on the line. You have to be strong enough individuals and stay positive. We are lucky to have each other to lean on and our passion for what we’re building.”

Clemmy (Eccles) has a BA in English Literature and Philosophy (BA 2008), Honours in English (BA Hons 2009) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PDM 2010). Daniel has a BA in Philosophy and Economics (BA 2009) with Honours in Philosophy (BA Hons 2009) and a PDM with distinction (2010).

“Very different from studying food! We both feel our BAs helped in opening our minds and learning to look at things from multiple angles, both analytically and socially,” says Clemmy.

They both completed postgraduate diplomas in marketing and these “gave us the backbone we needed for our business in terms of finance, strategy, operations and marketing,” she adds.

The pair launched a new product called toasties, which they are selling at markets. But a trailer accident prompted a move into a solid retail space: Baba G, a rotisserie deli in Illovo. It's named for baba ganoush, the aubergine dip, and specialises in flavours of the African Mediterranean region.

PAUL BALLEN

PAUL'S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

Paul Ballen (BA 2011, BA Hons 2012, PDM 2014) got an ice cream maker for his 21st birthday and started making his own flavours. The business that snowballed from there, Paul’s Homemade Ice Cream, now offers a tormenting variety, including roasted pineapple, lemon and basil, green tea and white chocolate, dulce de leche, speculaas cookie butter, chilli chocolate, white rabbit, red velvet, halva, licorice … If this sounds disastrously decadent, you also get vegan and sugarfree varieties. Paul is a fitness enthusiast himself.

His friend Josh Amoils (BCom 2011) joined him in the business and now they employ a small team of staff at their Orange Grove HQ. The gourmet product is carefully made, thoughtfully and artistically packaged, and available in Johannesburg stores or a mobile ice cream bar. It also shows up at parties and catered events, which triggers a donation of profits to a children’s feeding scheme.

TSHEPO LETHEA

DICKY’S CAKES

By the age of eight, Tshepo Lethea was watching his granny Dikeledi Lethea make magic from eggs, flour, butter and sugar.

The alchemy of baked goods making people happy stuck with him and today the former civil engineering student is a director of Dicky’s Cakes, the speciality cake shop his gran started in 1996.

“Actually civil engineering training does help, because I can think through some of the structural builds when stacking big speciality 3D cakes,” says Tshepo, who completed his studies in 2015.

The 3D cake designs are one of the new avenues of growth for the business, which got its start in the most unlikely way. It was back in 1994, just before the first democratic elections, and Tshepo’s grandfather was stockpiling dry goods in their Soweto home in case the South African miracle turned out to be an apocalypse.

When the new day dawned bright after all, the family sat with a pantry full of products that had a sell-by date.

Dikeledi, a factory worker at the time, turned them into queen cakes, scones and biscuits and sold them at work. The business grew and now has nine branches, from Soweto to Alexandra and Tembisa and dotted across Joburg.

“I still love our scones best,” says Tshepo, but the business has kept pace with cake trends such as huge personalisation and a wow factor in design.

Best of all, Tshepo says, is when his granny, who is now in her 80s, visits the stores. She still has her say. “We really are a family business. My brother is also a director,” he says.

The next focus for Dicky’s will be in franchising, possibly in the form of container stores that can be set up in more locations.

“As you grow a business you have to be scalable but you can’t try to do everything yourself. With a franchise we can use our brand to have new partnerships,” he says.

It sounds like having your cake and eating it – the kind of challenge Dicky’s is more than up for.

JONATHAN ROBINSON

BEAN THERE

Taking a gap year from corporate life and travelling the world changed Jonathan Robinson’s worldview 12 years ago. It set him up to build a business on the triple bottom line of profit, people and planet.

Jonathan, a former IT specialist, is the man behind Bean There, the artisan coffee roastery that became South Africa’s first roaster of certified direct fair trade coffee.

“Direct fair trade means every year I meet the farmers we buy from across Africa, and we know these relationships are about improving farming methods that benefit people on the ground. We have developed a business model that is good for everyone along the chain,” says Jonathan, a BCom Marketing graduate (1996).

Spreading the prosperity hasn’t been bad for business, either. In fact Jonathan believes it builds sustainability, partnerships and employee job satisfaction, which help future-proof a business.

The company’s single-origin, 100% Arabica coffee is good too. A favourite is the Ethiopian coffee, which Jonathan says is appreciated for its balance of body, aroma, acidity and easy drinking.

Bean There has two coffee shops in Joburg and one in Cape Town. It also sells its coffee machines and accessories in the retail space, hosts coffeetasting evenings and has a mobile unit for events.

In the next phase Bean There wants to work more with educating and training its employees and to get consumers to understand more about coffee appreciation and the benefits of direct fair trade.

“Not just being successful but being significant is what we strive for.”

APIWE NXUSANI MAWELA

BREWSTER’S CRAFT

Apiwe Nxusani Mawela admits to not being a huge fan of beer when she was first thrust into a brewery. What she did love, even at high school, was how biology and the alchemy of fermenting could transform ingredients into cheese, yoghurt and yes, even beer.

She holds a degree in microbiology and genetics from Wits (BSc 2006) as well as a BSc Honours degree in microbiology from the University of Pretoria. She started her career as a brewing trainee at South African Breweries, learning all aspects of the business, and has gone on to earn accolades as a pioneer for women and black people in the industry.

Among her achievements: first person in South Africa to complete the National Diploma in Clear Fermented Beverages (NQF 6) through the FoodBev SETA; first black female shareholder in a microbrewery in South Africa – Brewhogs microbrewery; first black South African to be accredited as a training provider by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling; and first black person to be certified as a beer judge in South Africa through the Beer Judging Certification Programme.

Today Apiwe’s business is Brewster’s Craft. She’s applying her scientific knowledge as a consultant to help established brewers tweak and enhance their beers. She also runs short courses to help home brewers get started and she organises expos for schoolchildren.

“I don’t get to design my own brews but I love being part of developing better beers. Our craft beer industry is still growing in South Africa and what’s enhancing the industry is more science, better training and better quality management. Breweries are also improving distribution; it means more people are being exposed to what craft beer is about,” the brewster says.

Nowadays a good day for Apiwe may end with having inspired a cohort of young brewers before reaching for a cold Belgian-style white beer – her favourite right now for being light on the hops but uncompromising on flavour, like good craft beer should be.

PERSEVERANCE KHUMALO

THE SLICE DELIGHTS

Back when Perseverance Khumalo (BSc 2016) was a second-year student of Geographical Information Systems, she started baking for friends and small functions.

People so loved what she turned out from her kitchen that they were happy to part with money for her creations.

It was enough to convince the home baker to take the entrepreneurial plunge and register her business, The Slice Delights, in April last year. The business has taken off even as she has been doing her honours.

“I love geography and I love baking. They seem like two different loves, but I really want to be able to do both,” she says.

She’s juggling her studies and the baking business quite comfortably right now, even though she admits it does mean being wellprepared, focused and dedicated to what she’s committed to achieving. And while the hard slog of lectures, assignments and exams may be dreary some days, she knows it’s part of the long-term investment in herself. She’s loving that her business is getting attention, like a feature on a morning TV show. Word of mouth referrals are also driving customers to her door.

She says bespoke cakes are a hit and so are her “cap cakes” – cakes shaped like branded caps. Whatever she bakes, she says, must leave her kitchen as “bliss in a bite” and “delight in every slice”.

“What I’ve learnt in the last year is that you can’t cut corners on quality. In fact, people are prepared to pay for quality and it’s what makes your cakes stand out. Your cakes have to taste as good as they look – it’s not just the decorating,” Perseverance says.

She hopes that one day The Slice Delights will be an employer of more young people.