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Canditar Chapanduka, Chronicle Reporter
Lethukuthula Mandaza (38) from Bulawayo’s Hillside suburb decided to start a fruit-producing company called Kamvhaothu Trust Funds in 2018, not to make profits but to empower women by offering them life skills because she believes the future is female.
She managed to establish a name for herself in the business thanks to Leshley Juice Up, her most profitable product.
“I offer a variety of lessons like making Leshley undiluted drinks, dairy juice, chocolates, and detergents. I offer master classes where I teach young girls and women how to prepare. I take 20 girls every month for management purposes so that I will be able to do follow-ups for up to a year. I have taught about 800 girls and women in Africa. I also teach them the marketing and branding of products,” she said.
Lethukuthula produces a variety of fruit juices at her home factory and supplies vendors, tuckshops, and grocery shops. The drinks come in four flavours.
Her company has opened opportunities for more than 20 youths who are using its brand to showcase their talents.
“I have a student I recently taught in Bulawayo who now produces the juice and has managed to brand his product Drinkshy,” she said.
Lethukuthula said she has so much passion for women’s empowerment and changing women’s lives. She has offered tapestry training all over Africa including in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. She has also done detergents training all over Zimbabwe and is teaching women how to make concentrate, dairy juice and sweets.
“I teach them how to make a 500ml concentrate that makes 20 litres of undiluted drink which we later pack into 20-litre bottles. They can either sell 500ml concentrates or 2 litres in the comfort of their homes or shop. I have managed to impart the knowledge to over 500 students. I am glad that they apply the knowledge after being educated by producing their own juice.
“I am not gaining much from the business because my main aim is not profit but to change and transform the lives of women and girls. I opened the business mainly for catering to the vulnerable girl child. When the product is ready, I supply tuck shops, individual retailers, and the market. I’m striving to penetrate more into the market by starting to provide for the big shops in the city and all supermarkets,” said Lethukuthula.
She said at first, she used to inject her own funds to run the company but now the company funds itself.
“I am in Kwekwe currently because I am starting a new project there to empower women and girls to fulfil my dreams of spreading country-wide. I have managed to grow my brand product by advertising in squatter camps and on social media. Some of the students have been engaged as marketers of the products,” she said.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways. I started empowering ladies in 2017 and I’m still looking forward to doing more. I am discovering that business is moving. I am planning to grow by starting to approach big supermarkets and that is how I would manage to penetrate fully in the wide market. We are now at a point where we are making an average of 1 000 bottles a month which we distribute to different places,” said Lethukuthula.
“The company has since opened business opportunities for other youths in Bulawayo who are now into designing the company’s logo and labels for the brand. I want to expand to recruit girls and women internationally and regionally by taking girls from different backgrounds. They should know how to build palaces, not how to clean palaces, “she said.
“I advise other people that it is not easy to establish a name in the market but if one is dedicated it is easy to make it through. The future is female and not even the sky is the limit. I am also making a call for different youths and mothers as well who have the desire to learn to come over and work with us.”–@NomqheleC
Online Reporter