Entrepreneur Strikes Chakalaka Deal With KFC
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday August 14, 2017 18:00
According to Seleka, who is the managing director of the company, she will be supplying all the 12 KFCs across the country noting that she has the capacity and machinery that enables her to produce about 400kg per day.
“I am excited about this offer because it will open doors for me as now I am certified to even serve other KFCs even outside the country especially in the regional market,” she said on Friday.
Narrating her journey, Seleka said she started her business in 2014 with the assistance of the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), which incubated her at their Pilane incubation.
She said she went through their training that included branding, business management as well as record keeping. The following year in 2015, LEA introduced her products to KFC, which then required the safety standards on them.
“As you aware that KFC is an international brand, for us to be part of them they required us to have proper equipments which will reduce manhandling of the products for safety reasons.
That is when we then decided to ask for CEDA’s intervention to finically assist us to buy the machinery and luckily they responded within four months,” she said.
According to Seleka, LEA then sponsored their trip to India in May last year to go and find the right machinery that would be suitable for their business. However she said they managed to get the equipment in South Africa.
After acquiring the machinery, they then underwent an audit, which they passed in June 16 this year at their second attempt.
Currently Sleek Foods supplies other local retailers, which include Spar, Sefalana Shoppers, and Choppies Hyper with relish. They will also soon roll out to Pick’n Pay stores in Gaborone.
On his part, the acting general manager of KFC Botswana Gaamangwe Maruatona said Sleek Foods is currently the only SME that is supplying them urging other SME’s to exploit available opportunities that exist.
“Sleek Foods is the only SME’s which currently supplies us and it might open huge opportunities for them as they can now supply any KFC across the country. There are many opportunities that exist in the bakery, vegetables, chickens just to mention but a few,” she said.
According LEA to Pilane Incubation manager, Fana Kelebogile, in the 2017-2018 financial year, they graduated about four businesses with Sleek Foods being the fifth one. The companies include Cool Eskimo Ice, Handy Products, Kgatleng Chemicals and Ten Talents.