#ThankfulTuesday: They sold Amasi out the back of their bakkie and now supply Woolworths
A wonderfully inspiring story for a thankful Tuesday...
As an entrepreneur, it can be tricky to stick it out when it comes to running your own business, but some people just have a knack for making it work.
"Zolile Soka and his family sold amasi and raw milk from the back of a bakkie because they could not meet the demands of the formal market. Today, their family-owned enterprise, Dee-Y Trading, supplies milk to Clover for the Woolworths dairy brand. (Food for Mzansi)
Their family business started with their mother, Disebo Makatsa, who started her farming career in 2000. We love the way Zolile used his education to support and uplift the family business.
"After matriculating in 2012, Soka began studying for a BCom degree at Varsity College. At the time, his mother was already farming and he would volunteer there over school holidays. There was no doubt that this was his true calling." (Food for Mzansi)
I wanted to pursue a formal qualification in this field [agriculture] and return home to work alongside my mother once I had completed my studies. I then changed my course, moved to Bloemfontein and started studying agriculture management. Once I completed my BTech and underwent an internship at a mixed farm in the Free State, I returned to our family-owned farm in 2015.
Check out more from East Coast Radio
Zolile's mother created Dee-Y Trading after her career as a teacher. He mentioned that his mother did not receive a good reception from the community after leaving a stable job that provided her and her family with benefits, to pursue her own business.
But that's the thing with entrepreneurs, with thought leaders, they are the ones that create disruption. They are the ones who take the risks and leap into flying. This story shows us that with some perseverance and dedication we can get anything we want.
Image Courtesy of Facebook