Never in her wildest dreams did she think she will land it big while she was mixing batter in her garage.
At that stage, she supplied her instant batter only to small Corner Joe Fish and Chips shops.
But then, with the help of the Shoprite Group, she managed to fulfil her lifelong dream and became an entrepreneur of note.
Today, Alberton’s Zuzie van de Venter, co-owner of Batter Master, can live out her dream to reach out to others and be involved in the community, something she aspires to daily.
A small start
Zuzie, who first worked as a sales manager for a big corporate company, became an entrepreneur to improve people’s lives in her community.
Together with her husband, Japie, she bought Batter Master from a family friend in 2006, after a 15-year-long career in the food industry.
When Zuzie took over the batter business she only had the batter recipe and no clientele.
“I perfected the recipe and turned my garage into a small factory – one blender at that time,” she said.
Zuzie received help from her domestic worker Lucy Ledwaba who would always ask her if she could help to mix the batter.
“I taught her the basics of mixing batter and the rest is history,” said Zuzie.
Lucy is now Zuzie’s right-hand woman as she is now the manager of the Batter Master factory in Alberton.
Lucy said, “I never thought I’d end up where I am today.
“I was a domestic worker and I am a single parent to my two children, but because of my position at Batter Master, I not only put food on the table for them, but I’m also able to pay for college and school fees, and care for my extended family.”
“Lucy is one of my best friends and she is just one of those magnificent humans,” Zuzie added.
A dream come true
Zuzie shared their recipe with the retail industry and it was the Shoprite Group who was interested and helped her reach her dream.
Her business started supplying instant batter to Shoprite and Checkers in the greater Gauteng area in 2013.
Her batter is used to coat baby hake prior to frying it at the in-store delis.
Over the years, Zuzie and her team have grown their business with the retailer to the point where they now supply 20 to 25 tons of batter a month to Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets across South Africa.
“I don’t think words can do justice to how deeply grateful I am.
“Every single morning when I wake up, I’m aware that the business I get from the Shoprite Group is the reason that my staff are able to improve their quality of life,” she added.
“One of my missions is to empower people and to give them the second chances they never had. I got to watch people empower themselves and it was so beautiful to see.”
The perfect batter
Zuzie said that her recipe will remain a big secret, but what she will share is that it is important to be accurate while mixing batter.
“Food is science. Skip one step or add an extra ingredient and your batter won’t be the same.
“You will come out with something else. So be sure to be accurate and work according to the recipe.”
It takes three and a half hours to make a ton of batter.
The batter then gets delivered to the stores nationwide and the final step is to add water and your batter will be ready in two minutes.
Her future goal is to mix different sorts of batter for different products.
On a personal note
Zuzie moved from Slovakia to South Africa as a young girl with her parents .
She has been married to her husband, Japie, for 19 years and they have two children and two grandchildren.
In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her parents and also loves to relax with her friends.
“One of the greatest lessons I’ve learnt in business is that with determination, commitment and hard work I can do anything.”
Her biggest inspiration and hero in life is her dad, Stefan Makovy, from whom she has learned everything she knows.
“My advice for people is to remain focused. Believe in yourself and never give up.
“The keys of persistence and perseverance are vital if you desire to be successful,” Zuzie said.
