What started as survival during a period with no income has grown into a retail food brand.
Stand-up comedian Tshepo Sethosa turned a street vending hustle into a growing porridge business with national and continental ambitions.
The brand, Last Number, is now stocked in supermarkets, filling stations and butcheries across Gauteng.
In the thick of Covid-19 lockdown, Tshepo Sethosa from Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, wasn’t thinking about business plans or product launches. He was thinking about breakfast.
“I’m from an entertainment background im a stand up comedian of 15 years in 2019 to 2020 there is no gigs i just took my pot and went selling in the streets of Joburg and the business was an instant hit,” he said.
“I used to drop off my father in the Joburg CBD every day, and as I was doing so one day, I realised that the only grab-and-go food for breakfast was fatcakes and scones. I noticed there was a gap in the market. Pap was the only way I thought could stand out so I grabbed a pot and my gas stove and headed to the CBD. Luckily it was winter when I started and that was an advantage because I sold two big pots in 45 minutes,” he said.
From the very beginning, Sethosa says he knew he had to build something different, not just sell street food.
He wanted a product that could stand out in a saturated informal food market, and that led to a key innovation, packaging porridge in PET bottles.
“I wanted something that would be unique because everyone was selling fat cakes and cakes. I knew it would be good because that segment was not oversaturated. As I was selling I had a light bulb moment to put in PET bottles,” he said.
The product is made from fermented soft porridge prepared using traditional methods and preserved in the same way, with original and banana flavours.
“We ferment the soft porridge the traditional way and preserve it the ancient way. We have original flavour and banana flavour,” he said.
Dealing with the challenges of compliance
But moving from street vending to formal retail shelves was not easy.
Sethosa says compliance became one of the biggest challenges in scaling the business, especially in food manufacturing where safety standards are strict.
“Compliance was the main problem in my journey in food manufacturing. You need to be compliant because people’s lives are at stake. Luckily i was part of incubation programs which helped immensely with training such as HACCP,” he said.
“The NYDA (National Youth Development Agency) was helpful in assisting with training and part of the capital. I learnt about writing my business plan and proposals from their programme,” he said.
The real breakthrough, however, came when he started pushing the product into formal retail spaces.
Instead of waiting for opportunities, Sethosa physically went to stores, pitching and building relationships one by one until doors started opening.
“It was just pure hustle and research finding out how to get into those spaces. And then simply go to the individual stores,” he said.
That approach eventually led to shelf space in SPAR stores, Engen filling stations and Roots Butcheries, mainly across the East Rand, turning a street product into a recognised retail brand.
Today, the business generates income through direct product sales and has expanded its range to include dairy blend juices, gummy sweets, and a hangover remedy called Bhabhalaz Terminator.
“My goal is to create something that lives beyond me,” Sethosa said. “I want my product to be in households across Africa.”
The company currently employs 10 permanent staff and about 15 part-time workers, supporting job creation as demand grows.
Sethosa says what makes the product different is not just the taste, but the emotional connection it carries.
“The uniqueness of my product is that we sell nostalgia. You can see what you consume. We did that intentionally,” he said.
Looking ahead, the goal is expansion beyond South Africa.
“We want to conquer the rest of South Africa and the continent,” he said.
For Sethosa, the biggest lesson is simple start with what you have, even if it begins on the street.
“Plan it first and just start you will learn as you go,” he said.
