Tea company brews recipe for success
Two local entrepreneurs have been nominated for the Ernest and Young World Entrepreneur Awards.
FOUNDING members of the Pinetown-based Joekels tea packers, Jonathan Kelsey and Joe Swart, have been nominated for the prestigious EY World Entrepreneur Awards “Exceptional Category” South Africa.
The award programme recognises entrepreneurs, who demonstrate excellence and success in all areas of business practice, from innovation and financial performance to personal commitment to their businesses and communities. “These individual’s ability to innovate, inspire others, power a business along the difficult journey from start-up to market leader is truly remarkable,” commented Sugan Palanee, EY’s Africa markets leader.
Joekels Tea Packers first opened its doors for business in 1994 by Joe, an accountant for an FMCG company, and Jonathan, a tea buyer and blender for one of the larger tea firms in South Africa. They spotted a gap in the market to launch a quality tea at a reasonable price. The brand had to be different and stand out against the other brands available at the time. The duo chose a name of African origin as all of their tea was sourced from Africa.
Phendula Tips “For a Tea Time Change” was born during a change in the political landscape. Phendula means to turn around or change. The name Joekels is a derivative of Joe and Jonathan’s names and they liked the sound of it. “It sounded like Joe Kool’s, which is where we shook hands over a beer at the popular venue and agreed to go ahead with the forming of the company” said Joe.
From a small start up company it has grown into a sizeable business in the last 20 years and is now the third largest tea packer in South Africa. “Our journey has been fun, but not without difficulty. There really is no easy business,” said Jonathan.
Joekels were awarded the Sanlam/Business Partners Entrepreneur of the year award in 1999 and in 2013 the company received the globally recognised Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000, the only tea producers in South Africa to receive the certification. The award ceremony will take place in Johannesburg from 10 to 12 November.
