Primeone Aims To Improve Hygiene In Botswana Kitchens
Cavin Kanoko | Monday July 27, 2020 16:56
One such, Gardson Mazonde, in June 2011 armed with a background in the health sector left his employment to start Primeone (Pty) Ltd.
Mazonde started the nine-worker strong team business in order to follow his passion and specialty.
The business focuses on the state of hygiene amongst cooking facilities in the country including private restaurants, hospitals, higher learning institutions and schools across the country.
“I left my job in 2000 where I was employed as the sectional head of Waste Management at Jwaneng Town Council,” explains the soft-spoken Mahalapye native.
“One of the landmarks I made before leaving was the hygienic state of the town’s public toilets which to date is still amazing.”
Primeone offers sewer line cleaning, kitchen extractor cleaning, fumigation, hydro sand blasting, corrosion protection, waterproofing and flooring services along with other cleaning services.
“We offer cleaning of kitchen extraction system, a part of the kitchen that has been neglected in this country,” Mazonde says.
“And to think of it, it is killing kitchen workers. If not taken good care of, all the fumes from cooking end up being inhaled by the workers, leading to some serious respiratory infections such as cancer.”
Mazonde explains the journey wasn’t all rosy as they struggled since inception in 2011 to 2015 trying to get clients understand why the kitchen extractor should be cleaned.
He says the company also advocates for the formulation of legislation regarding the cleaning of kitchen extractors. Already, he revealed, they engaged health inspectors and the Fire Department back in 2013 to sensitise them on the importance of cleaning the kitchen extractor, an effort that failed to garner the desired attention.
Mazonde says his company faces competition in the market with many local companies offering cleaning services, but answers that by introducing new items.
“We have diversified our product line. Primeone has acquired a distribution agreement with one company is South Africa on corrosion protection products,” Mazonde adds.
Competition in the sector is also worsened by new market entrants who slash prices to a point where if a business is not strong enough it could close down.
As essential service providers, the company did some work during COVID-19 pandemic.
Mazonde says they have an initiative where they adopt schools to offer them their services, something they did for some academic institutions during the lockdown as a way to improve hygiene in the schools.
He warns promoters of start-ups to be resilient, adding that profitability takes time to come.
“To start-up businesses, I'd like to say mental strength and hard work is the key to success. Avoid short cuts as they are profitable in short term, but in the long run, you fall into a ditch you will never come out of.”
Mazonde wants to see Primeone move from a small medium enterprise to a middle income business in the next two years.