16 May 2018

A Botswana couple has ventured into a sugar packaging business to expand their business aspirations.

The two are owners of Real Sugar, a brand name of Gwandu Group also a parent company that sources sugar in bulk from sugar cane manufacturers around the world and packages it into their ‘Real Sugar’ brand name.

The 37-year-old Mr Bashingi Gwandu who co-owns the company with his wife Kumbilani Gwandu (36), said the licensed small scale business kick-started in mid-January 2018 after spending the whole of 2016 and 2017 travelling across the continent doing their research study on sugar supply.

From their research, Mr Gwandu says they ended up finding reasonable sugar refiners from Brazil, India and Portugal since there were no local farmers who grew and manufactured sugar.

Mr Gwandu says in the study they found out that Batswana liked coarse grained not fine grained sugar hence settling for the three refiners that produces 60 percent of quality sugar in the whole world.

He said the company sources out sugar from the suppliers, packages it into one kilogram packets and brand it into the Real Sugar brand.

Asked why they ventured into sugar packaging business, he said they wanted a stimulating business idea that will challenge them.

He noted that challenges were a learning curve that may help one to grow in the business industry.

“It depends on the mindset of a person.

To me I perceive challenges as stepping stones; there is always a lesson in every challenge which can help a person to rise above the norm,” he explained.

He said they also opted for the sugar business since it was easily marketable by giving clients chance to taste the product.

He explained that though the business was steadily gaining momentum, it was a difficult road to get where they are due to challenges they faced such as finding the best supplier for the business and that transportation was expensive.

Despite the challenges Mr Gwandu said the clientele figures were impressive considering that when the business kick-started in January they had no clients but currently they have more than 10 customers who call time and again for orders and deliveries.

He said their customers mostly were owners of small scale businesses or vendors who prefer to buy in bulk for re-selling adding that they have so far responded positively to the product.

The optimistic entrepreneur feels that in a few years to come the business will be supplying the whole of North West region and quickly pointed that as soon as the business finds a reliable market, they wish to brand and package other products such as salt, flour and others.

He said they are determined to penetrate the region adding that they like competition because it helps them not to sleep on their job but to be on guard and keep striving in the industry.

So far the business employs four full-time youth and they look forward to increase their staff once the business is fully established.

Mr Gwandu advised entrepreneurs and young people that to reap their desired results they should keep their heads up and take challenges positively. ENDS