Whether one loves it black or white, Vusi Mokoena knows just the way to satisfy one’s hot-beverage preferences to a T (so to speak).
Having grown up in a family of rooibos tea lovers, he saw an opportunity to start his own stronger, more flavourful version of this quintessentially South African brand.
The young Khayamandi entrepreneur said in more recent times he would hear everyone around him complain about the flavour of their rooibos tea. This challenged him to embark on research on the South African-grown Aspalathus linearis plant, or the rooibos (red bush), and consult tea experts on ways to create a stronger taste.
He left his job at a pharmaceutical company to pursue his dream, a business he has named Mavusana Premium Rooibos, focusing on developing it and getting it off the ground.
“When I finally found the perfect flavour, I decided the perfect way to standout was to personalise the tea,” Mokoena said. “One way of doing this was to name the tea after myself, because the name is easy to recognise and its meaning, ‘awakening the dream’, relates to every tribe in SA.”
This one-year-old business supplies its product to guest houses around Stellenbosch and has a few small stockists nationwide. In Stellenbosch it is available from CoCreate Hub, De Warenmarkt, and the Paul Roos KwikSpar.
The four-team business also aims at seeing its product being SA’s go-to tea, its goal being to build an independent distribution model, one that empowers South Africans to earn a living while focusing on the tourist trade and hospitality sector with its individually wrapped tea bags and gift boxes.
The company also supplies tea bags in bulk to catering companies, hospitals and restaurants. Mavusana Rooibos is currently sold by a handful of independent distributors throughout the country, including in Kimberley, Gqerberha and Johannesburg. It retails from R35 to R1 100 on the company’s online store, with delivery available nationwide.
However, Mokoena and his team are excited about developing a nationwide independent distribution model with an innovative structure that incentivises distributors to sell.
“This ‘Tupperware selling model’ will enable us to go directly to the consumer, avoiding the fees involved with retailers,” he explained. “At the same time we will empower young entrepreneurs to sell Mavusana Premium Rooibos in their neighbourhoods.”
But, like any other business, Mokoena’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t always been easy. Some of his challenges include access to capital and proper distribution channels to help his business enter different markets, such as the hospitality sector. However, there have also been many avenues and channels, largely technological, that have contributed to its success.
“Technology plays a vital role in the acceleration process of an entrepreneur, so when we entrepreneurs start businesses we need to think about how to use technology and incorporating it into our business models,” Mokoena related.
“It has enabled some of us to reach wider customer bases, for we are able to sell and advertise our products digitally. Therefore, I strongly advise up-and-coming entrepreneurs not to shy away from such resources, for they play their part and are the future.”
He believes entrepreneurship is one way of eradicating unemployment in SA, and to encourage this he has been engaging with Cape Peninsula University of Technology to take on a number of students to assist with work-integrated learning.
Looking to the future, Mokoena’s goal is to focus on consolidating a sustainable business, through innovation that appeals to the South African end-user and working with rooibos farmers to ensure product safety and quality. Other goals include accessing proper distribution channels and venturing into different flavours of rooibos tea.
