Lesedi Tshabalala, founder of Lefelo Foods with the flagship brand of Amashwam Shwam snacks, has experienced a remarkable transformation in his entrepreneurial journey.
What began as a small-scale operation selling directly to individual customers has evolved into a thriving enterprise following a strategic re-launch in December last year.
Supported by a valuable partnership and mentorship programme, the business has since seen a significant increase in sales. It now supplies its snacks to 10 wholesalers and one retail store.
This transition from direct-to-consumer to a high-volume, business-to-business model marks a significant milestone in the growth and professionalisation of the brand.
Tshabalala told Vutivi News that their growth came after an article published by Vutivi News last year.
https://vutivibusiness.co.za/business/rise-of-success-for-puff-snack-business/
“It opened doors for us since we had a number of people who wanted to invest in our business. We ended up signing a non-disclosure agreement with an existing manufacturing snacks company. It also brought us a mentor in the production system,” said Tshabalala.
“Within four months of our relaunch, we are now supplying over 2000 spaza shops, 10 wholesalers and one retail shop in Soweto, Tembisa, Katlehong, Vosloorus and Cosmo City. We also aim to supply the whole province and other provinces.”
Tshabalala said their first packaging version was 30g a packet. A new 50g packet was even better value for money.
“It is cheaper because we now benefit from the economic scale. We buy our production ingredients in bulk. We have implemented new features that will make it difficult for the crooks to recreate,” said Tshabalala.
While he started trading formally in 2022, Tshabalala has wanted to run a snack business since high school.
“Growing up, Amashwam Shwam has been the name given to the soft puffs snacks in the township. Today, I am bringing back the glory of these snacks in a very hygienic way,” said Tshabalala.
In 2019, the business owner had already heard about children dying from eating snacks purchased from spaza shops.
“This led me to do research where I realised that most of these snacks sold by street vendors are tied with a wire and repackaged by hand in small plastics. The wires leave a space for contamination and by the time they are distributed to wholesalers,
they are already contaminated.
“You will not even know when they were manufactured. Our packaging is well sealed, and snacks are fresh until the consumer buys them. We follow the government packaging guidelines with a barcode, production and expiry dates. This assures the consumer that he or she is not eating snacks that have been there for months,” explained Tshabalala.
This system also helped with tracing if anything went wrong.
