Small town couple turning dream into reality
Lockdown or not, the business of selling eggs continues
Despite experiencing a dip in profits due to the lockdown, a young Ngqamakhwe couple has not given up on their dream of turning their small egg-selling business into a thriving empire.
Mzikabawo Mateza and his wife Andiswa, both 34, said they were now applying to acquire one of the vacant factories owned by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation in Butterworth with the hope of growing their business.
The Matezas worked as insurance sales reps before deciding to start their own business in 2017 to supplement their income. They converted the garage of their modest home in Sokapase village, in rural Ngqamakhwe, into a chicken coop and have been selling eggs from there since then.
“Sales have really gone down but at least with the easing of the lockdown regulations, we hope things can go back to normal again,” Mzikabawo said. “Though profits have dwindled because of the situation, we were able to keep afloat in these trying times as eggs are always in demand.”
He said they were able to sell to locals in Sokapase and surrounding villages as well as spaza shops in Ngqamakhwe during the lockdown.
Mzikabawo said their decision to sell eggs was prompted by the fact that there were no banks in Ngqamakhwe and only a few shops. This meant people had to travel 30km to Butterworth to buy eggs. A taxi trip to and from Butterworth costs around R60 and Mzikabawo said he had noticed that many of his neighbours in Sokapase were unemployed and therefore could not afford the taxi fare.
“We saw a business opportunity and were confident that our business could be sustainable in the long run.”
While the pair had registered their own company, Amumzi Trading, as far back as 2013, they only started selling eggs three years ago. Mzikabawo said they had used part of their salaries to buy 100 chicks and chicken feed. The chicks were reared in their garage.
Using their experience as sales reps, the pair were able to build up a list of clients fast.
As their business started to take off, they resigned from their jobs and focused all their time and energy on selling eggs.
Mzikabawo said they had also managed to secure an agreement with some big food supermarkets in Butterworth to supply them with their eggs once things started looking up again. They were hoping to become one of the biggest suppliers of eggs in the province within the next five years and help create jobs for the unemployed.
At the moment, a pack of 60 eggs retails at R85, while they sell 30 eggs for R45, 18 eggs for R24 and a dozen is priced at R18.
The Matezas have 200 chickens which produce up to 150 eggs a day. Last year the pair received help from the National Youth Development Agency, which built them a proper structure for their chickens.
However, Mzikabawo said they were in desperate need of more funding to help expand their business.
Eastern Cape Chamber of Business president Vuyisile Ntlabati applauded the young couple for their ability to think outside the box.
“This is what we encourage our young people to do. Jobs are scarce out there and we need people with innovation.”
Ntlabati, however, said the main challenge in the province was that the ECDC remained the only available funding institution and sometimes funds dried up, which meant underfunding some businesses stunted their ability to grow.