MOLATELO CHOPPED AND PACKED THRIVES

Molatelo Ledwaba, @veronica.onica, is a femprenuer, as she describes herself, who owns Choppe’d and Pack’ed. The 25-year-old was born and raised in Thembisa but currently resides in Birch Acres.

At Chope’d and Pack’d, she prepares ready-chopped vegetables and dried fruit. “We chop and package all the basic vegetables you can think of, from cabbage, potatoes, and spinach to baby marrows. We also have a veggie mix range that has your chakalaka mix, stew mix, stir fry, and roast mix, to the gravy and soup mixes,” she explains. The home-based business operates from Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 18:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00.Molatelo Ledwaba says her business caters to the “Home cooks”, those who love to cook but want to spend less time in the kitchen, those who have braais, gatherings, and parties, and those who want to be healthier.

The prices range from R20 to R80 in packages of 500g, 1kg, and 2.5kg. The 5kg to 20kg packages are available on request. Deliveries are available at a fee. Ledwaba works with her mother, her younger sister, and her niece. Her mother is the one who supported her when she came up with the business idea.”Our future plan is to have our products at nearby supermarkets like Pick ‘n Pay, Spar and Shoprite. We would like to open our own stores and create employment and branch out to Gauteng because we have customers in the Johannesburg suburbs, Pretoria, and Benoni. The business would like to have a soup kitchen and give back to the community, understanding that there is hunger in our communities.

Chope’d and Pack’d will not throw away vegetables; instead, we will create a meal and feed someone hungry.’ She concludes.