Former chemical engineer Mpho Precious Mohaswa and former metallurgist Kelebogile Pearl Makoko realised that they share a passion while working together, and decided to start the Precious and Pearl Brand. By Fundiswa Nkwanyana
We met while working at a white male dominated gas company. Our friendship developed because we often shared with each other our frustrations about working in the corporate sector, and having to constantly prove ourselves. This frustration inspired us to focus on creating our own legacy by starting a business together.
SEE ALSO: Want to get into the food truck business? Here’s what you need to know
In March 2017 we officially launched the Precious and Pearl Brand. The aim of our business is to mass produce and sell ginger based concentrated and ready to drink products. We grew up drinking non-alcoholic ginger beer, and noticed that people are now struggling to find it. We realized that this is because the older women that know how to make it; no longer have the physical strength to do so. We now produce these products and package them, so that they are accessible to a larger market.
Our popular drink is the flavoured ghemere and ghemere concentrate drink. Even though we have apple, strawberry, pineapple and mango and orange flavours, people are drawn to the ginger flavoured ghemere because it’s an old recipe that is now available in concentrate and ready to drink. Ghemere can be made into popsicles, blended in a cocktail and can be drank with hot or cold water.
As a new business, brand visibility is one of our biggest challenges. We want our brand to be recognisable which is why we are focusing on marketing. We are still in the trial and error phase because sometimes the marketing strategy that we apply does not yield the desired results. We will continue marketing our business until it becomes a household brand.
WATCH: Traditional ginger beer recipe
Our products are easily available. We mostly use social media to communicate with our customers. They can use these platforms to place orders. We also have a reseller model that allows people to buy from us at a discounted price, so that they can make a profit. The Food Lover’s Market store in Sunward Park in Boksburg also stocks our products.
