Hot Cares Christmas – Chilli Sauce Entrepreneur Gets Just the Right Ingredients this Festive Season

There are a couple of great elements to this story.

Firstly, one South African looking out for another and taking the trouble to seek help for them, after just passing their fellow citizen on the street.

And secondly, someone who wants desperately to help themselves and their family, and not just look for the easy way out.

Let’s start with the Good Samaritan, Johan, who wrote to Hot Cares, telling us of the young man he encountered on a street corner in Westcliff, and asking for assistance.

“His name is Thapelo,” said Johan. “His business is the making of chilli sauces, which he produces in his home in Soweto. He then sells these sauces in Braamfontein, Soweto and Westcliff.”

Thapelo is 28, lives in a commune, and is using his entrepreneurial skills to provide for himself and make a success out of what he loves.

“He is very passionate about creating and growing a business for himself and his family, which will hopefully one day be able to employ others as well,” said Johan.

Johan said he was intrigued by this young man on the street corner and chatted to him, to find out more about his needs and how he could possibly grow his business. Thapelo told Johan that all he needed was a high-speed commercial blender, valued at around R1999, which he said would help him expand his business.

“Being a small business owner myself and knowing how difficult it is to get financial assistance, his plea spoke to me and I was hoping that you would feel the same and be able to assist this young man?” said Johan.

Of course we could, but surely there was more we could do?

So, we sent our intrepid Head of News, Tara Penny, out to investigate further, and she came back  blown away by Thapelo’s infectious enthusiasm and positive energy.

Hot Cares also called Thapelo to find out more about his chilli sauces and business, and we learned that he was making sauces for clients, mainly on order, so that he didn’t sit with unused stock. He’d also approached various chesanyamas about supplying them and that he couldn’t wait to expand as soon as the opportunity arose.

Well, here is that opportunity and here at Hot Cares we feel privileged to be able to help Thapelo get properly started and on the right track to growing his business.

So, we’ll be supplying Thapelo with a Genesis Nutrimax Blender and stock for his business – 200 glass sauce bottles, 100 glass jars, and groceries to make the chilli sauce, oil, sugar, and vinegar, along with some additional shopping vouchers to brighten up his Christmas.

We hope that this is just what Thapelo needs to kickstart his budding chilli sauce business and that this is the sort of Christmas ‘present’ he was looking for.

Merry Christmas and good luck, Thapelo! Can’t wait to taste your sauce!