How hunger pangs helped Nkululeko start amahewu business

By SITHABILE MAJOLA

Nkululeko Mkhize first doubted the idea of selling fermented porridge, or rather amahewu as they are popularly known, thinking there was no market for such products anymore.

The budding businessman from KwaNyuswa outside Pinetown in the west of Durban later realized that amahewu were his late great-grandmother’s business, and he could make success out of picking up from where his gogo left off.

He took courage and started the amahewu selling business, a step that he actually thanks himself for today. He said this business started off a long time ago when he was still young.

“At first I was not really a fan of amahewu, I actually didn’t even like them until I realised that I could make them myself, that is where the love of them grew for me,” said Nkululeko.

He said that there was once a time when he had nothing to eat at his apartment, and decided to make himself some porridge.

He took the remaining porridge and fermented it. After some time he tasted them and then decided that he could now make a bigger pot and let his neighbours taste them.

“I started this amahewu business idea around 2018, I had so much self-doubt that I ended up not selling them, I was like who on earth could buy amahewu and thought people would just laugh at me,” he said.

He then went to Facebook where he got really inspired when he saw other people’s hustles on social media he then said: “heck, ‘I’m also doing this’.”

If people could support the small businesses he saw on his timeline, why would they not support his.

“I started with only 20 bottles of amahewu and in a blink of an eye, they were sold out. My family would help sell my product at their workplaces and around our community, I do have a name in mind for my product but I will not reveal it as yet,” he says.

He said he properly started selling amahewu in April this year and is looking forward to doing more sales and expand his business.