Benedict’s babalas fix
This young man is looking to conquer the archar industry with his special mix
Bottom left: The tasty Babalaz Archar.
POLOKWANE – Hailing from Luthuli Park, 33-year-old Benedict Chere and his late sister, Refilwe, created a spicy archar to take care of babalas the morning after a hectic night out.
With his Babalaz Archar, this eNatis admin clerk at the Department of Transport hopes to build a reputable repertoire.
“The idea for Babalaz Archar came in 2014 when I asked my sister to add some kick to the regular mango achar as nothing I ate with my babalas tasted right. Babalaz Archar comprises of secret ingredients to give it a taste like no other and hopefully it will make a great impact on the market. When my sister passed away I initially wanted to give up the idea, but I sat down and realised Babalaz Archar was something we shared and it would not be right to give up on our dream,” he explained.
He said the aim of the business is not to make a tidy profit for himself, he explained, but rather to help the youth in the community. Although there are many potential markets, their main focus is on the middle class and they do extensive research into which spices will most appeal to their target market.
“Our goal is to make sure our brand becomes well-known as a homegrown brand which seeks to achieve nothing but to emancipate a black child’s life,” he said.
“We aim to conquer the international market as we believe it is possible. Limpopo has an array of products worthy of exporting, yet most of the people are not proud enough of their products to give it a shot.
“I think the government is doing enough to help business owners, despite the challenges. However, what are we as the youth doing to take advantage of the primary sector to grow our businesses? Babalaz Archar aims to be the ruler of achar in the primary sector which is why we are working with a team of qualified food technologists to get our product approved by the South Africhan Bureau of Standards (SABS),” Benedict added.
He values the importance of education and holds a certificate in human resource management administration, and a certificate in VIP payroll, both from the Tshwane University of Technology.
Benedict’s advice for the youth and entrepreneurs is to not undermine their ideas.
“We are not born to be losers. Trust your instincts and abilities as you are the only one who understands your destiny and what you are capable of. Take advice when it is given and build your own empire to benefit your community,” he concluded.
