Meet Soweto’s muffin man making moves in the franchising industry

Morero Nhlanhla Moloi, popularly known as The Muffin Man from Soweto is a determined and charismatic entrepreneur who is making waves in the franchising industry.

Moloi is the founder of McMore International, a food manufacturing company that specialises in making premium quality muffins.

Despite facing personal challenges with dyslexia and ADHD, the Muffin Man’s determination led him to establish the business in July 2020.

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He started from humble beginnings in a backroom of his great grandmother’s house in Orlando West where he invested all of his savings into building his business.

Moloi says, “My business was primarily established as a food manufacturing entity. My vision was to be a leading micro-franchising organisation that offers aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to own a business.”

Inspired by his late grandmother who was a street vendor, and the teachings and books by the late Dr Myles Munroe, he believed in the power of vision and legacy-building as drivers of long-term impact and significance.

With these teachings as motivation, Moloi embarked on a mission to formalise the street vendor business sector and contribute towards the transformation of the franchising industry.

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“The franchising industry has been one of the least transformative industries in South Africa and is often inaccessible to many.

“It drove me to create a sustainable business model that empowered other entrepreneurs,” Morero explains.

“In which my business would manufacture the products, provide packaging, manage the marketing and offer customer support, leaving them with the sole responsibility of selling.”

Some of Moloi’s greatest challenges with his business included navigating the strict regulations of the food industry, and tackling the tough competition with industry giants.

Moloi was therefore motivated to apply for the SAB Foundation to improve his business. This sought-after programme became his accountability partner, providing invaluable support and a grant that enabled him to expand his business operations.

“For me, entrepreneurship has been both sweet and sour,” reflects The Muffin Man. “It is the craziest journey one can embark on and is filled with wonderful moments as well as some tough challenges.”

He now employs 13 permanent staff and 22 temporary employees. He also supplies and supports 22 micro franchisees and is in the process of on boarding 50 new internal sales employees.

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The company’s annual turnover has soared from R150 000 to well over R1 million during his participation in the programme.

“McMore International is already making great strides by supplying private hospital groups, selected SuperSpars, and more. The company has also started testing markets in the USA, Netherlands, Ghana, and Mozambique,” says The Muffin Man.

Despite the hurdles he has faced along the way, Moloi remains undeterred in his pursuit of success.