As a child, Nompilo Ntimbane dreamed of leading a professional kitchen, dressed in a crisp white chef’s jacket, a tall white toque, and black pants. But after years of unemployment, Ntimbane had to rethink her path. She followed her love for food and started a sauce business, Zempilo General Trading.
It started small, just enough to get by, but today it’s growing steadily, and it stands as proof that sometimes the best recipes in life are the ones you create yourself.
Ntimbane studied hospitality at Coastal Tvet College’s KwaMakhutha Campus in Durban.
She says Coastal College equipped her with skills such as cooking and food preparation, baking, waitressing, housekeeping, food safety, and kitchen management.
“The course has been very helpful, as it helped me understand how to manage a business,” she says.
Cooking up a business
Following her hospitality studies, she worked for three years before realising that being employed was not aligned with what was truly in her heart. With her skills in cooking and food preparation, and savings of R7 000, she began thinking about starting her own business. The idea of making sauces soon came to mind.
She gathered information and identified chilli (peri-peri) farmers in Manguzi, KwaNgwanase, in the northeast of KwaZulu-Natal. The business officially started in 2022.
“At first, I wanted to see how the product would perform, so I only made it for my family,” she says. “I was amazed by the response.”
Ntimbane adds that at first, she produced only one sauce, with no variety. She later realised that she needed to offer more than just a single product.
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Secret spices, big flavours
Zempilo General Trading offers three sauce varieties: peri-peri mayo, peri-peri sauce, and hot sauce. Ntimbane says these are made with secret spices to blend the fresh chillies with oil uniquely.
The combinations are carefully selected to complement grilled meats and marinated dishes, and they also work well in salads, wraps or sandwich fillings.
With her R7 000 capital, she bought her first stock, as well as the machinery for blending, jars, and branding materials.
“Something I never thought was so important in business is marketing. You can make great products, but if you fail to sell them, growth is limited,” she says.
Ntimbane has built a loyal clientele from communities including Manguzi, Mbazwane, Joni, Mkuze, Hluhluwe, Mtubatuba, Richards Bay, and Durban. Her business grows largely through word of mouth, and she says orders even reach Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
“My other source of marketing is social media. It works when people share your work and leave reviews. This has been effective from the start.”
Food safety is central to her business. She also ensures she keeps enough stock so she never runs out when clients need to fetch or order sauces.
The first step is the hardest
On her bucket list, Ntimbane says she would like to see even more growth if she starts growing her own chillies. For now, she is busy with research and hoping to secure a suitable plot to cultivate them. She explains that her sauces sell well almost all year round.
Local restaurants and shisanyama are her main target market, along with households. She is currently busy with paperwork and approvals from the SABS, which will help her to expand to retail shops.
For anyone looking to start something new, Ntimbane says it begins with an idea and a solid business plan, but the real challenge is putting it into practice. “Taking the first step can be scary,’ she explains.
“You worry about making mistakes, embarrassing yourself, or failing. Once you start, you have to mingle, network, and sell. Running a business takes a lot of effort.”
Ntimbane shares her tips for future agripreneurs:
- Expect losses and failures, but don’t give up.
- Accept constructive criticism.
- Don’t relax; seek something unique to make your business stand out.
- Be visible; attend expos, workshops, and occupy spaces.
- Follow proper business procedures.
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