Limpopo’s Kota queen wears the crown
It is said if you snooze, you lose. But to say that Doris Matatanya has an eye for spotting an opportunity is an understatement.
LIMPOPO – This BA graduate and mother of three, was not only the first to introduce a Kota store to her community in Polokwane 13 years ago, but since then she has established a highly successful business that recently saw her being named one of the top performers from Limpopo in Parmalat’s Phuma Phambili programme for 2016.
Phuma Phambili was initiated by Parmalat in 2015 to support and promote entrepreneurs and small businesses in South Africa’s informal market, to work with emerging fast food and retail businesses as a business enabler, and to give these township start-ups a much-needed competitive advantage.
Matatanya’s business, PKP Kitchen, enrolled in the programme last year for the first time, and was among the businesses honoured this week for recording the most positive growth in 2016 – from 200 Kotas sold per day to 540 Kotas sold per day or a growth of 170%.
“I wasn’t working when I completed my degree, so I went to live with my husband in Gauteng. That was when I first came across a Kota shop. I saw an opportunity to open a similar shop back home, as I knew there was nothing like that here at the time, so I returned to Polokwane and did just that,” she explains.
When Doris tasted Parmalat Cheese Slices, she could see why it was the preferred cheese slice for the South African Kotas. “The cheese was of a much better quality and tasted great. I started using them straight away, and still have no competitors today because of the quality of the ingredients I use in my Kotas,” she says, adding that she uses a case of Parmalat Cheese Slices every day.
As part of the Phuma Phambili programme, Doris won a TV set last year, which helped boost sales among the store’s predominantly student clientele, who watch TV while waiting for their orders.
Due to this business growth, Doris now employs five full-time staff and two part-time staff. She has also been able to build her own house, pay for her children’s school fees and acquire office space that she rents out. Doris’s dream now is to franchise her successful Kota business.
