Loss leads to Qonce Cold Brew entrepreneur’s success

Three years ago, Lwanda Bana experienced a tough period in his life.

He lost a brother in 2019 and a year later lost his second brother, and was retrenched.

During this difficult time, his newly founded business kept him going. 

Bana, of Qonce, said he had taken a leap of faith and registered his business, SimeSikhanyisa  Markets, which he named after his late brothers. 

The businessman pursued a BA in media and communications but was forced to branch into entrepreneurship.

Bana said after being retrenched, he had needed to do something to put food on the table.

The inspiration behind it was my mother. I loved ginger beer and she did too and then she taught me how to make it

“I started with selling veggies and fruit and it finally escalated to selling ginger beer.

“I started making ginger beer in 2020. Back then I was just doing it.

“It was not branded, it was just an ordinary drink,” said Bana, who in 2021 branded his Cold Brew product.

“The inspiration behind it was my mother. I loved ginger beer and she did too and then she taught me how to make it.”

After branding his ginger beer, Bana said, his business had started to grow.

He now supplies big supermarkets in and around Qonce, and even some outside the province at times.

“From there I started supplying BCM, from the garages and big markets like OK stores, Bhisho stores, to SPAR Supermarket.

“I supply more than 10 stores.”

Bana said he had not looked back on his decision to start his own business.

I started the brand based on the R1,000 given to me by my brother, and the Nest Café were the first people that accepted the vision

“I started the brand based on the R1,000 given to me by my brother, and the Nest Café were the first people that accepted the vision.

“I first gave them 10 bottles of the cold drink and within an hour they were gone.”

Bana said what made his drink unique were the taste and how he positioned his brand to people.

“Social media has been the biggest catalyst.

“Young people are aware of the product and have gone in numbers to get it.

“Now all age groups are fans.

“The reaction has been amazing. People have genuinely given me amazing feedback about its taste [and] the brand has even branched out to people near KwaZulu-Natal and Maletswai [Aliwal North].”

DispatchLIVE