Bringing the spice with gourmet hot sauces
Name: Mukudzei Dube Age: 38 Position: Co-founder, Natal Foods Inc. We produce gourmet hot sauces in three flavours, each made with farm-fresh ingredients, no preservatives and no vinegar.
Job description: I ensure the smooth running of the company. I am responsible for the whole production cycle, from sourcing the ingredients to production, sales, distribution and marketing.
How did you come to be in this job?
I wanted to solve a problem. I love hot sauces but wasn’t satisfied with what was on the market. So I worked with my wife to create our own recipes. I have a science background and worked as a project manager for 15 years, so I treat this work as a giant project.
What gets you up in the morning?
The desire to make a difference. Retail is a big beast, and pretty cutthroat. I want to show people that you don’t have to be big to make a contribution. Lessons learned? So many! Do your background research, and don’t take shortcuts. Participating in an entrepreneurship program offered through the Hamilton Small Business Enterprise Centre was really helpful that way.
Also, test your assumptions: I have met a number of people who promised something but didn’t deliver when the time came.
Roots? Transplant. I am from Zimbabwe and immigrated to Canada in 2015. My wife was already living and working in Hamilton, and I was able to reunite with her. Contacts: @natalfoods facebook.com/natalfoods/ Groups and associations: Launch Local Facebook Group (created by participants of the entrepreneurship course I took in Hamilton); Zimbabwe Ontario Information Network Favourite place in Hamilton? Albion Falls and the surrounding trails.
What would make Hamilton a better city?
Two things: a Hamilton Chili Festival featuring a variety of chili, hot sauces, craft beers and entertainment, and a small-business fair to showcase the many small businesses that are contributing to this city What’s next for you? This business is young, less than a year old, and our sauces are already available at Lococo’s, Chadwicks and Hacks, and 47 Wing in Mount Hope.
I can smell success, so I am working on ramping up the marketing, mechanizing the production and increasing our distribution.
This feature was co-ordinated by the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC), Global Hamilton and Workforce Planning Hamilton to highlight professionals from a diversity of backgrounds. If you know an immigrant professional or entrepreneur who would make a good candidate for this series, contact HIPC at immigration.partnership@hamilton.ca.