The Maslow’s theory of motivation
NOMAGUGU Mlipha, formerly a taxi rank vegetable hawker, and Jasmin Sidikmia, who used to be unemployed, know that life is a struggle – and even more so with a small business.
But now The Maslow Hotel in Joburg and the Tourism Enterprise Partnership have given the women a helping hand to break into supplying the hospitality industry.
Mlipha is the sole owner of Gugu and Daughters Farming, in Walkerville, south of Joburg. She started the business in 2005 and grows, buys, processes, and retails fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs.
Sidikmia started Tassy’s Caterers and Suppliers in 2009 after a discussion among friends about the lack of halaal catering, for weddings, parties and businesses.
The two women have become part of the Tourism Enterprise Partnership’s Enterprise and Supplier Development Solutions programme, which aims to help companies in the sector to comply with the amended BBBEE codes.
The codes came into effect in May, making ownership, skills development, and enterprise and supplier development priority elements. The last of these alone counts for 40 points on the scorecard.
Tourism Enterprise Partnership chief executive Dr Salifou Siddo explains: “Measured entities have to invest 3 percent of their profit after tax in providing support for black-owned small, medium and microenterprises.
“SMMEs need to be at least 51 percent black-owned to qualify as beneficiaries.
“Because enterprise and supplier development is a priority element, companies will have to comply with it to avoid being downgraded one level.
“At (the partnership), we realised that, to assist the industry to become compliant, we needed to expand our database of more than 4 000 tourism SMMEs to include small businesses that provide goods and services and which meet the requirements of the new codes.”
What this means at grass roots is that doors are being opened for people like Mlipha and Sidikmia – doors that might have remained closed for a long time.
Mlipha’s roots in rural KwaZulu-Natal gave her a solid background in growing vegetables. She would hawk her wares at the taxi rank in Meyerton, where she now lives with her family.
After some research, she expanded into cauliflower, broccoli and exotic lettuces, but soon found taxi rank customers were not interested in these. Finding the right clientele, like restaurants and hotels, proved to be a challenge.
Mlipha also struggled to set up the right infrastructure, business management, and financial and cash flow procedures. Added to all this, customers were often late in paying her.
Mlipha employs 10 youngsters, providing sustainable livelihoods for them. The farm produces primarily leafy greens and herbs. The mainstay crops are exotic lettuce, spinach, beans, and parsley.
Secondary crops include tomatoes, baby cabbages, red cabbage, spring onions, pak choi and radicchio. Other highquality produce, including fresh fruit, is sourced and purchased from emerging farmers and the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market.
The produce is harvested and prepared to customer specification on order, ensuring everything is of a high quality.
Distribution occurs daily and weekly throughout Gauteng, using Mlipha’s refrigerated truck.
When the Tourism Enterprise Partnership arranged for The Maslow Hotel’s head chef, Jason Millar, to visit Mlipha’s farm and processing centre, he was impressed.
He has provided a list of his kitchen requirements and Mlipha has agreed to grow a specific chilli – extremely expensive to import – from seeds that he is to provide.
Johann Scheepers, general manager at The Maslow, says: “Our partnership with Gugu’s Farm demonstrates our commitment to building a sustainable community and contributing to the local economy.
“Aligned with this commit- ment and with our promise to our customers to deliver only the freshest, quality, locally sourced produce, we endeavour wherever possible to work with local suppliers in support of small enterprise development.
“Gugu’s Farm has an exceptional reputation for delivering quality produce and valueadding services. We look forward to working with Gugu’s Farm for many years.”
Mlipha hopes this alliance will increase tur nover and open up opportunities to supply other hotels in Sandton.
“An increase in turnover would mean I could buy more machinery and another refrigerated truck that I urgently need to improve the running of the business.”
Mlipha’s fervent hope is that her association with the partnership will lead to more exposure in the hospitality and conference industry and that it will be able to give her financial and entrepreneurship training and mentoring.
Sidikmia’s business is run from her kitchen – and reflects her passion for cooking and baking.
“The business was started with little capital. What was available was used to purchase chafing dishes, platters and trays. These are all expensive items needed to begin the business. Any profits were immediately ploughed straight back into the business to expand the operation.”
The business, in Mayfair West, Joburg, has a small monthly turnover, which Sidikmia believes will improve vastly with The Maslow Hotel agreement.
“This contract will make The Maslow Hotel my mainstay customer as I will be providing it with 40kg of snacks a month.”
Sidikmia is determined to grow the business and to impart baking, cooking and organisational knowledge to others to empower them to found events businesses.
“This will definitely increase my tur nover. If the snacks are enjoyed and the order is increased, I will be able to employ someone to assist in food preparation.”
Scheepers adds: “From the outset, we have recognised that The Maslow’s success and sustainability depends not only on our ability to deliver premium services and facilities, but to help build and maintain a sustainable community.
“We look forward to long and fruitful relationships with (the small enterprises).”