Maphumulo farmer turns fresh produce into snack success
Donovan Gumede on his crisp comeback.
Diversifying when the chips are down for your business enterprise is what makes entrepreneurs thrive.
And that is exactly what budding Maphumulo businessman Donovan Gumede did to survive. When demand for his fresh vegetables began to wane, the 25-year-old found an alternative, entering the snack market with… chips!
Gumede’s journey in agriculture began in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unemployed, he started a small vegetable garden in desperation in Mambedwini, Maphumulo, using his R350 social grant as capital.
The demand for his fresh produce grew and he soon expanded his crops to include sweet potatoes, yams, potatoes and cabbage. However, when business slowed and his surplus produce became spoiled, he realised he had to find a way to preserve it and prevent wastage .
This is when he came up with the idea to make chips from his sweet potatoes and yams, and since then, his business has been growing steadily again.
Operating from his home kitchen, Gumede now makes both baked and fried chips in three flavours, a spicy pepper for spice lovers, a sweet-salty blend and plain. He sells them for between R30 and R45 a packet.
Although he doesn’t have a physical store yet, he sells his chips from his car boot in Tinley Manor, Durban and KwaDukuza.
A big breakthrough came when he entered this year’s iLembe Chamber of Commerce’s Entrepreneur competition just two days before the closing date.
Despite the last-minute entry, Gumede secured third place and gained invaluable business lessons through the mentors who were part of the competition.
“I started the business to survive. I was unemployed and had nothing else to do. The Entrepreneur competition has now set me up for bigger things in the future,” he said.
Using the produce from his farm and outsourcing when necessary, Gumede is gearing up to enter the health snack market more seriously, hoping his brand, Asbongah Foods, will become the go-to healthy snack on the streets.
Contact Donovan at 067 225 6326 or check out Asbongah Produce on Facebook or Asbongah Projects on Instagram.
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