From prison camp to food company boss

IN 2018, Lesly Marange had a lot on his plate. In addition to dealing with the typical hurdles of launching a business, he was also getting ready for the birth of his first child. And if balancing business and family was not already a tall order, he simultaneously enrolled in an MBA programme. “I had an obligation to pay fees. I had an obligation to fund the family, [and] I had an obligation to run a business,” he says. “When I reflect on it now, I actually ask myself, ‘What was I thinking’, but, you know, passion sometimes drives you to do crazy things.”

Marange, now 34, grew up in a unique environment — a prison camp. His father served as a prison officer, while his mother was a school teacher. From early on, Marange displayed a penchant for cooking. Yet, in his community, a young boy spending time in the kitchen was frowned upon. His father, a veteran of Zimbabwe’s war for independence, showed little enthusiasm for his son’s culinary aspirations. However, his mother advocated for the freedom to chase one’s passions. Undeterred, Marange kept at it and even chose food and nutrition as a school subject.

He went on to study food science at Chinhoyi University of Technology. During this time, Marange found himself deeply engrossed in the success stories of prominent food enterprises, like Kellogg’s and Nestlé. He took inspiration from the experiences of these company founders.

“One of the biggest lessons that I learned is that there was a lot of endurance in their early days,” Marange reflects. He did not know then that he would need the same kind of perseverance in his own food business journey.

While at university, Marange started a small business in his backyard, making roasted maize. He sold it at prison, army and police camps. Having grown up in a prison camp, he knew how these places worked, which gave him an advantage over other suppliers. Roasted maize is a popular snack in Zimbabwe, but Marange did something unique: he pre-boiled the maize before roasting, which made it softer than what most people were used to. “People liked it because it was different from the traditional way of doing things,” he explains.

Although his maize product was well-received, the packaging was basic. He and his team of about eight part-time employees filled the unbranded packets with a cup and sealed them with a candle.

As part of his degree programme, Marange completed a one-year internship at a sugar factory in Harare. One day, the boss visited and saw his roasted maize operation. Impressed, he suggested Marange consider the corporate world after his studies to learn how a large food business runs. Marange took this advice to heart. After finishing his degree, he joined that same sugar factory. In just three-and-a-half years, he climbed the ranks and became the product development manager. In this role, he developed several successful products that boosted the company’s profits. This experience gave him confidence in his ability to make products with commercial value. So, feeling prepared, he left his job to start Glytime Foods in 2018.

Capitalising on a gap for healthy foods

While Marange worked at the sugar company, sales of table sugar started to drop dramatically as consumers became more health-conscious. Recognising health and wellness as an emerging trend, Marange saw an opportunity. His research revealed that not many Zimbabwean food brands were tapping into this market shift.

Glytime’s first product was granola, which the company introduced at the end of 2018. Marange had saved up about US$2 000 from his previous job which funded the initial raw materials and packaging. He began making it in his own kitchen. After preparing the family’s meals each morning, the kitchen transformed into Glytime’s production space for the remainder of the day. At first, the young company could only produce 24 units of granola cereal daily.

Food Lover’s Market was the first grocery chain to stock Glytime’s cereal. Their first order was for three cases, which took Glytime three days to produce. However, a subsequent, larger order of 15 cases posed a production hurdle. To cope, Marange initiated a night shift.

Meanwhile, the MBA programme at the National University of Science and Technology wasn’t just aiding Marange in navigating business challenges.

It also turned into an unexpected sales avenue.

He’d bring Glytime products to his classes and sell them to fellow students.