Popular demand for Joburg’s healthy mango bread growing

EVERYONE wants a slice of Joburg’s very own bread.

The loaves, popularly known as “mango bread,” have garnered wide-spread interest across the country as traders, homeowners, bakers from KwaZuluNatal, Mpumalanga, Cape Town, Free State and other small towns seek to cash in on the affordable and healthy product.

For the past two weeks the Saturday Star and the City of Joburg have been inundated with requests about the bread, which costs R7.50 a loaf.

It is made with mango flour milled using the fruit’s peel and pips and was launched by the city in Soweto last month.

It was hoped that the bread would provide a healthier and low-cost alternative in the township and promote entrepreneurship. Business owners in Joburg were trained to bake the wholesome bread by a group of Filipino chefs earlier this year.

This week, the City of Joburg confirmed that enquiries from interested South Africans had been overwhelming.

And Wandile Zwane, executive head of Social Development, said sales in Soweto were growing rapidly.

“We had not anticipated a positive response outside Joburg. We are now able to track the demand and slumps. The bread sales peak on weekdays and go down on weekends,” he said.

Zwane said those from neighbouring provinces could contact the Joburg Bread team and place their orders.

He added that while it may prove to be a challenge to accommodate those in far away provinces, the city would look into each order.

Since the launch of the first bakery in Pimville, five other bakeries have been opened and are fully operational in various regions across Joburg with 24 more set to open soon.

For more information on the mango bread, e-mail Noko Leopeng NokoL@joburg.org.za.