The winners of iLembe Chamber of Commerce’s The Entrepreneur 2021 Programme were announced at The Entrepreneur 2021 Exhibition, which was held at the CMH Ford Ballito Showroom.
The iLembe Chamber’s The Entrepreneur is a business accelerator programme that aims to find entrepreneurial gems in the iLembe District and develop and support them to sustainable levels of growth.
Maxi-Lee Machado from NutriVita South Africa was announced as the winner of the Entrepreneur 2021 Competition. NutriVita South Africa produces and supplies a range of nutrient dense plant-based foods beverages, supplements and superfoods. The produce ingredients are bought fresh and sourced directly from local farmers. The company is conscious of their impact on the environment, and therefore all products are packaged in biodegradable and/or compostable plant-based materials.
Judges were impressed with the high quality of the product and the strong leadership and extensive job creation and skills development potential.
Mandisa V Mwandla Makhoba, owner of Have a Seat Stylish Furniture Manufacturers, was the runner-up. The established furniture manufacturer is based in Mandeni and offers a complete home and office furniture solution to its clients.
Have a Seat Stylish Furniture Manufacturers have been steadily growing over the past five years, establishing a solid base by catering for various market segments. In addition to supplying the KZN market, products are supplied as far as the Eastern Cape.
Owner Mandisa Mwandla believes that their main expertise lies in their creative and innovative approach to furniture design; catering for individual customer needs whilst managing to contain costs. Although Have a Seat offers a broad range of furniture products, it specialises in the design and manufacturing of dining room suites.
Third placed winner was Mduduzi Daniso from Nomalinge Poultry Farming, which was established in May 2020 as a community-based project. The operation produces chickens and sells both the meat and live broilers. Mdudusi noticed the gap in the market for poultry production in South Africa considering the high levels of chicken imports from the USA and Brazil.
Nomalinge Poultry Farming buys one day old chicks and breeds them until they are ready to be consumed. The company’s expansion plans include the buying of ready-to-lay pullets (young laying hens) and raising them through their productive life cycle. Mdudusi wants to use the business as a project to promote the creation of jobs for woman and the youth of his community.
Phila Zulu from Phila Zulu Foods received The Social Entrepreneur award, whilst Dodi Sathianarain from Treat Attack received a commendation.
The awards were presented by Councillor Thabani Mdlalose, the Mayor of the Mandeni Local Municipality.
The iLembe Chamber partners in The Entrepreneur 2021 business accelerator programme are Enterprise iLembe, King Shaka International Airport, Airports Company South Africa, The North Coast Courier, Siza Water and ENGIE Peakers Operations.
The Entrepreneur is an accredited UKZN Graduate School of Business and Leadership Short Course.
The virtual home of The Entrepreneur programme is www.theentrepreneur.net.za
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