Chaitezvi's indigenous ingredients drive rural enterprise
Lucy Kgweetsi | Wednesday July 16, 2025 06:30
Because of no readily available data on them, they end up not being used in dishes and as a result go rancid. However, one young Motswana has found use for some indigenous fruits in order to make good use of them. In 2022, from a rural part of Botswana, Nanzelela Chaitezvi launched her food business that processes these abundant nature’s treats to make finished products that can be incorporated into making assortment of dishes in many household kitchens. The business is based entirely in a village setting, using locally available indigenous fruits and grains. What started as a single jam product has since developed into a broader line that includes sorghum and millet flakes, baobab coffee, and two types of baobab candy, including a caramel-coated option. Chaitezvi explains the motivation to start her business came from observing how common fruits were undervalued.
“We have easy access to indigenous foods in the villages, but most of the time, these fruits waste away without anyone showing much interest,” she says.
Her first product was jam made from fruits such as morula and lerotse. Though she had heard about these jams while growing up, Chaitezvi says she had never seen them sold nor made in her area.
“I grew up hearing that there is morula and lerotse jam, but I had never seen or tasted them,” explains Chaitezvi.
“I decided to try making them. When I shared the results, people said it tasted good, so I continued making and selling.”
She later developed sorghum and millet flakes after looking for an alternative to traditional porridge.
“I do not enjoy bogobe, but I wanted to benefit from the nutrients in sorghum and millet,” she adds.
The flakes are now a core product for customers looking for cereal-style formats of traditional grains.
Baobab also featured prominently in her expansion. She found the taste unappealing in its raw form and looked for a way to make it more palatable.
“I wanted to enjoy the baobab fruit, but I found it sour,” she says. “That’s when I decided to add value to it by making candy. I also developed a caramel version to offer more variety.”
All products are made using indigenous ingredients with no imported inputs. According to Chaitezvi, this is what sets her apart in a crowded market.
“There are already established brands dominating the market,” she reveals.
“But it is easy to differentiate my products because they are indigenous.”
The business is entirely self-funded and Chaitezvi works from her home and uses online platforms for sales and marketing.
“I attracted customers through social media and referrals,” she tells BusinessMonitor. “Most of them are people who are on specific diets, people advised to eat certain foods, or those who enjoy indigenous flavours.”
Product development has required careful balancing and she is aware of the risk of changing traditional food too much in the process of making it commercially viable.
“The challenge is trying to modernise these foods without tampering with their original taste, appeal, and value,” says Chaitezvi.
While production remains small, the goal is long-term growth. “I want my products to be available in retail shops, in wholesalers, and eventually in regional and global markets.”
Chaitezvi continues to operate from her rural base and does not plan to relocate.
“I live in the rural areas and I’m doing everything from here,” she says.
“But I aspire to grow and have my products distributed countrywide.”
She encourages others to build from limited resources, regardless of location.
“Start where you are, use what you have, and grow from there,” she said. “Don’t quit.”
The business is still at an early stage but demonstrates how traditional ingredients and rural-based production can serve a growing consumer interest in indigenous and functional foods.