DUT Alumnus Spice Business Opens Big Doors

Durban University of Technology’s Faculty of Management Sciences’ Hospitality Management Alumnus Thabisile MaShangase Danisa’s spice business has opened new doors for her.After starting her business in 2015 and proper establishing it  in 2017, Thabisile is now finally supplying Pietermaritzburg Bargain Basket, and Spice Bizzare and Durban  stores such as Spar, Oxfords and Chohans spices with her original made spices, sauces and pastes.

For Thabisile the road to success was not always clear. She shared that while studying at DUT, she focused on making recipes of homemade cooking products. After her studies, she worked as chef in the hospitality industry. Thabisile’s unemployment in 2011 led her to play around with the recipes she made at university by making food for her family and creating other products at home. Due to the positive feedback she received from those around her, she generated an idea of her business.

Thabisile’s Incasa Food business reached higher height when she decided to go the Halaal route. She said she decide to go Halaal because if your food is Halaal it is considered to be clean.

Coming from KwaNdengezi in Mariannhill Thabisile said she received her Halaal certification through a Durban based organisation called South African National halaal Authority (SANHA).  She needed the certification for products to be acceptable in the market and recognised as Halaal. It was through the certificates that she was able to supply the big recognised stores.

“When approaching retail stores it was easy with a Halaal certification, as according to me this was not about religion only but to ensure that we are producing food that is of good quality,” said Thabisile. 

Her decision was more in line with health more than anything. It was a bonus that most people and stores are owned by Halaal believers. She had to align her products with value systems of the Halaal supporters. She would not have gotten an opportunity to supply these retails stores if she did not have a Halaal certificate. She also emphasised how important it is get a recognised organisation for the certificate as some stores look for where it is obtained.

Currently, Thabisile is based at Seda building on ML Sultan Road, Block1, at Unit 103. Her business has opened opportunities to two permanent staff and other two part times. She also has an internship programme for at least 10 interns a year for up to 18 months.  With just 2 permanentl employees her ambitions are to grow the Incasa brand globally starting locally. Thabisile said as from 2023 with the help from the Agribusiness Development Agency (ADA), they are looking to expand the employee numbers, as well as interns. 

Most importantly Thabisile plans to create platforms where more black farmers and crop growers can be empowered to create and or polish their own brands making them ready for the formal market.  Create platforms for dialog among emerging / aspiring farmers to give them confidence that this is a field for them to explore making much needed infrastructure  accessible to address issues and gaps that hinders growth into agriprocessing.   This will be to help make the agriprocessing industry more accessible to more uneducated farmers and break the sealing that  keeps the emerging farmers from growing and moving their produce to the next level.  Would also love to see creation of local permissible organisation similar to Halaal that will help farmers to level up and open retail doors for their brands.

The brand has since been very much involved in communities through offering of internships within the company to help with issues of youth employment.  Incasa has also been hands on in identifying and facilitating community projects that could be used as blue print for future agriprocessing projects that have been identified within different municipalities, where Incasa is calling upon the different municipalities to be cognisant of subsistent farmers and natural agri resources available to their communities exposure that could be taped into to help create sustainable legacies for future generations to come.

DSBD and SEDA has played a significant role in the growth of Incasa Foods brand and business.   DSBD has offered assistance with access to market and facilitated listing with retail stores .  SEDA has helped the brand by opening door for its operation at one of SEDA’s incubation facilities in Durban city and has further helped with funding for our labels and also open doors to market and creating brand awareness

A foodie who has learnt the hard way about the secrets of success, shares her creative journey with Liz Clarke

Thabisile Danisa had a strong premonition that life as she knew it in the mining town of Rustenburg would come to a sudden end.

“There had been a lot of talk about retrenchment and job losses, but everyone said those were scare stories and it would never happen. But I felt uneasy. I kept saying to myself there is something in these stories. What would we do if there was no work? I still had a family to feed. People kept saying don’t worry, but I knew in my heart that things were going to change.”

Her feelings of unease proved to be correct. In 2017 Impala Platinum Mine in Rustenburg was forced to reduce its worker force by more than 13,000 because of a number of negative factors. Among the many casualties were families and mine workers from KZN, including Danisa and her husband.

“Anyone who has suffered retrenchment will understand how frightening it is to suddenly lose your job” she says. “It’s not only about money. You have your church and your friends, your whole support system. You had money coming in every month - and then nothing. We weren’t angry, you have accept these things and move on.”

The only choice the couple had was to move back to their home province of KZN with their young family and try to start over again.

“We moved in with my husband’s family in KwaNdengezi near Pinetown. While my husband looked for other work, I thought about what I could do to earn an income. My father-in-law grew chillies and sold them to markets. I was a good cook, especially curries, so I started to mix the chillies with some of the ingredients I used in my curry dishes and made a marinade, and from that a spicy relish. I got my family and their friends to taste a small sample. When they came back for more I knew that I was on to something.”

The couple then moved to Ixopo, where Danisa continued with her spicy relish idea, trying to sell the concept to local stores.

“There just wasn’t that much of a market and also I did not know enough about the marketing of food and what was required. But I wasn’t going to give up because I knew my product was good and people would buy it. I just needed to learn a bit more about what goes into selling a food product, like keeping the formula the same, knowing the nutrition percentages and listing the ingredients.

So it was back to school this time at the Durban University of Technology where she studied catering and business management.

“I would advise anyone who is keen on getting into the foodie market to study the subject very well. I thought I knew a lot, but actually I didn’t know very much at all.”

The upshot of two years of study was the creation of her first range of sauces under her own Incasa label.

“For me the important thing was that my sauces must taste like something you would make in your own kitchen and want to give to your family. So the ingredients had to be as natural as possible and preservative free with no added colourants and MSG free.”

Tapping into what the market wants, she says, is at the top of her to do list.

“If I was to compete in a very difficult market, where everyone is trying to be the best and the most popular, my sauces had to be suitable for vegans and vegetarian friendly. I really believe promoting eating natural foods is the way to go.”

Like so many entrepreneurs, Danisa knows that if she is to expand her business, she would need a bigger premises and more funding.

“It’s a difficult decision, but it is one I am going to have to make quite soon. I have guaranteed sales at some of the bigger supermarkets, but they need me to supply them with regular bulk orders.”

It’s easy to be swept away by the idea of taking your new business to grand heights, but Danisa decided that the best way forward was to stay with what she could do, supplying her range of sauces to small local outlets.

“I know that I have the right products, but jumping in to the deep end too quickly wouldn’t have been a good idea. I still needed to know a lot more.”

To sharpen her business skills further, Danisa has enrolled in a Durban-based not-for-profit business empowerment organisation that is guiding her through the next part of her business journey.

“If I had known what I would have to learn to just get my business up and running, I might have been too scared to start” she smiles. But I have a good feeling I will make it in the end.”

lizclarke4@gmail.com