SAB IS SERIOUS ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES
The South African Breweries (SAB) has always championed entrepreneurship. As a brewing company, we understand the important role entrepreneurs play in our supply chain and in our business sustainability.
In 2017, we invited South Africans across the country to apply for our SAB Entrepreneurship Programmes and we were humbled to receive close to 10 000 applications. Our entrepreneurship programmes aim to develop and fund entrepreneurs, as well as to connect them with relevant industry experts and create market linkages for them. In 2017, over 200 entrepreneurs participated in SAB Entrepreneurship Programmes and over R208-million was invested in the development and growth of their businesses.
SAB Lerumo
The SAB Lerumo Programme is a fully-funded, four-month business development programme for women entrepreneurs that offers unrivalled masterclasses to equip participants with the necessary skills to develop their supply chain businesses to meet the requirements of corporate procurement processes. The 2017 class consisted of 23 black womenowned businesses from several sectors, with manufacturing, and information and communication representing 31% and 38% respectively. From this class, nine enterprises were awarded business opportunities within our supply chain and outside of SAB.
SAB KickStart
The and SAB grow KickStart youth-owned programme businesses, aims to targeting develop entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35. It is SAB’s flagship enterprise development programme that has been running since 1995. Through it we invest in South Africa’s youth to put young entrepreneurs at the forefront of the economy by leading sustainable businesses. To invested date over the R108 SAB KickStart million in Programme entrepreneurial has development, supported close to 25 000 entrepreneurs and empowered almost 3 500 youth-owned businesses in South Africa. The programme has extended across the continent and is now run in across our African markets. In 2017, the programme invested R8-million in development, and created 36 jobs across nine businesses in the agriculture, manufacturing, automotive, health, and business service industries. Participants underwent intensive business skills training and benefited from individual mentorship. Our investment in these youth SMEs included close to R3.1 million in loan funding. The programme focuses on two streams: emerging businesses in priority and supplychain aligned industries; and new entrants with disruptive innovations that have potential to be taken to scale.
SAB Accelerator
The SAB Accelerator programme focuses on supporting high potential black-owned suppliers in their growth and sustainability journey, within and beyond SAB Supply Chain. The SAB Accelerator team includes business coaches and engineers who focus on the individual business needs of each enterprise. The support offering includes business coaching, technical coaching, access to fully equipped co-working space, and other value-adding interventions, such as market access opportunities. Each participating business is allocated a business coach, responsible for tailoring and coordinating an intervention, specifically focused on bridging gaps identified through a diagnostic process. In 2017, the SAB Accelerator supported 34 businesses, enabling for the creation of 60 jobs.
SAB Thrive Fund
The SAB Thrive Fund is an Enterprise & Supplier Development (E&SD) Fund set up and funded by AB to transform the company’s supplier base to become more representative of our country’s demographics. The Fund has been established in partnership with the Awethu Project, a Black Private Equity Fund Manager. SAB Thrive Fund Investees benefit from 100% Black equity capital and ongoing business support. In 2017, the SAB Thrive Fund invested over R80m in 7 businesses, creating 94 jobs in the process.
SAB Foundation
The SAB Foundation places an emphasis on inclusive business growth while simultaneously using disruptive innovation to improve quality of life for those in low-income groups. The programme caters for various entrepreneurs through our programmes, The Rural Catalyst creates rural logistics channels for social innovation products through entrepreneurship and sets up small farming businesses in hard to reach rural areas. The Social Innovation Awards supports innovative business ideas, through challenge funding and tailored mentorship, which can directly and indirectly improve quality of life. The Tholoana Enterprise Programme invests in entrepreneurs, with a particular emphasis on women, youth, people in rural areas and those with a disability, to assist micro and small enterprises grow and create jobs.