Norkem Park couple’s black dolls go national
"I wanted our daughters to know they are beautiful just as they are," said Mpumi Motsabi.
Born from the need to celebrate African children and their natural beauty, husband and wife team Thabo and Mpumi Motsabi of Norkem Park have just launched a range of dolls available exclusively in Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets throughout South Africa.
They founded their company, Toys with Roots, in 2015 with just one product and one supplier. Toys with Roots was one of the winners of last year’s Shoprite Hustle competition, which was open to small business owners with an annual turnover of less than R1-million.
“We entered the competition to raise the profile of our business. The exposure from Hustle helped us raise R40 000 through crowdfunding,” explained Thabo.
Mpumi wanted to buy her two young daughters dolls they could relate to, and this was what sparked the Motsabis’ entrepreneurial journey.
“I wanted our daughters, who were seven and four years old at the time, to know they are beautiful just as they are. When I was growing up there was nothing that celebrated me as a child. I wanted a different reality for my daughters,” said Mpumi.
She started selling the dolls she’d bought on Facebook.
“Everyone was so excited to see beautiful black dolls and wanted them.”
From here the idea was born to start a company that sells a variety of dolls and other toys celebrating African children.
Toys with Roots approached the Shoprite Group to stock a range of their dolls and buyer Monique Richards really liked the product, but the Motsabis could not meet the retailer’s pricing requirements.
“Our buyer facilitated a partnership with an existing toy supplier, whose mentoring helped us align with the Shoprite business processes as well as find another company that could produce the volumes we needed at the right price,” explained Thabo.
The result is Rainbow Kids, a range of three dolls named Khana, Pula and Nandi.
Their advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to keep at it, be clear about your value proposition and what you want in return, and learn how your partner does business and align yourself with this.”
Kempton Express interviewed the couple in October last year when they were one of 36 small business owners who received a cash injection and marketing support valued at over R70 000 as part of Shoprite’s Hustle competition.
“It is through play that children can best learn and form important concepts about themselves and their world. It is so important for us to grow and reach more children – inspiring the youth of tomorrow has become our life,” said Thabo at the time.
