The Estratweni Mobile Foods duo will be hoisting the South African flag high when visiting the USA in October.
The pair, Siphumeze “Blax” Ramncwana and Siphamandla “Space” Mavumengwana, have their flight and accommodation sorted.
They will share their stories as guests to students, faculty and staff of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
The pair’s journey has been long one. After struggling to find employment in 2016, the two decided to start a mobile muffin business targeting public transport facilities and salons.
It all began in Philippi, but soon spread to Nyanga, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha, forcing the two to seek alternative ways to grow the business.
In November 2016 they started with burgers, and the name Abafana baseStratweni was also coined based on how residents referred to them.
Now named Estratweni Mobile Foods, the enterprise’s food is transported via a car.
They are also looking at using bicycles to deliver to some clients and create employment opportunities for the youth.
“We are super excited to be afforded this opportunity, to go to America and tell our own story. This whole trip was made possible by Prof David Gras, whom we met while selling on the streets and he came to the country as a tourist,” said an excited Mavumengwana.
He told City Vision, that Gras believed in their idea and was also surprised with the way they did their business.
“He was very interested in our stories and wanted us to share it with the world. He told us they did their business in a different way than ours,” said Mavumengwana.
The duo started the business with only R200 and has grown significantly. They have also ventured into sunglasses and now sell Izaza Eyewear.
“To us this is very big. We will be in America for two weeks, where we’ll be representing the country with pride,” he said.
“We want to tell others from the same townships as ours that all is possible. You can do it. Just use what you have in your disposal,” said Mavumengwana.
The duo’s business has been thriving, but when Covid-19 broke out, it brought everything to its knees.
The lockdown forced the pair to cut their output significantly. However, with the easing of restrictions the duo resurfaced to find new ways of doing their business.
They are now using social media to sell and promote their products. They also do customer deliveries.