Lize Fouche had a dream. A dream to turn her home-made Muesli into a successful business. Through the help of Anglo American’s enterprise development arm, Zimele, she was able to grow her business, Number 1 Corporation, from a mom cooking in her home oven to a fully-fledged commercial entity complete with its own manufacturing plant. Furthermore, Lize was honoured as one of the ‘Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Top 40 Under 40 achievers’.
Lize originally developed her muesli recipe for her family’s guest house. Because the guests loved it so much, she decided there was an opportunity hidden in this healthy mix.
“My first public sales resulted in two tonnes of muesli being sold. Little did I know that in less than a year I would have orders for more than 270 tonnes of muesli a month,” says Lize.
“I have had such fantastic support from Anglo American. In every way, in every interaction, it has been positive and rewarding. At times when I didn’t know what to do, Zimele would help me avoid any pitfalls through unconditional support and expert advice.”
Lize was granted a R4.8 million loan through Zimele’s Sebenza Fund. With this she was able to start production, and begin the construction of a manufacturing plant. She was also equipped to open up markets, buy equipment and employ 66 people. It is her goal now to employ over 180 people in the next three years. Moreover, she has created employment in places like Alexandria, where unemployment is drastically high.
“Zimele is like an umbrella when it’s raining,” says Lize. “Many banks will only offer you support on sunny days. But Zimele looks deeper. They saw my passion. They believed in my skills. And they provided funding at a crucial time for my business.”
To her, Zimele is a tool for growth. “The challenges we face as entrepreneurs are huge. Zimele helped me connect the dots through leadership and finance investment. It has been central to my business and has worked as a catalyst to unleash further funding.”
While Lize is tempted to say Zimele will make all entrepreneurs dreams come true, it takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice. But what she does know is that if it wasn’t for Zimele’s Sebenza Fund, her success would not have been possible.
“I hope that Anglo American employees walk into a shopping centre in South Africa or abroad, and when they see Number 1 products on the shelf they can swell up with pride knowing their fund made this possible,” says Lize.