POLOKWANE – Tumelo has always wanted to be a food entrepreneur, and seized the opportunity when she saw the gap to use her family farm to start her crop farming business.
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She calls it Soldado Enterprise T Enterprise which is a French name/phrase meaning “Strength” as she believes with the business she will be able to not only empower her community, but also help to feed the community as her goal is to one day be able to feed those who cannot afford to buy food.
“I plant butternut which I supply to two well known food retailers. I started two years ago with my mother and niece and my interest in farming grew, as I grew older, and I found myself in-love with the idea of farming crops. My aim is to grow and farm a variety of crops and also in turn be able to hire women in my community to come and learn about farming, as most of them have land which they can use for agricultural purposes, but due to lack of knowledge they are stranded,” she explained.
She is also a food entrepreneur who makes pickled vegetables, which she says is influenced by her love for cooking and catering.
She received training from the Department of Agriculture, Small Enterprise Development (Seda) and National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) where she was equipped with knowledge and skills as an entrepreneur, which she says has helped her immensely to grow in her quest to run her own business.
“I still want to learn more about the farming industry, for instance about how to plant as well as to fertilise and pesticide to ensure that my crops do not die and grow well and healthy. Although I am currently working with just my family, I do call in people to help me seasonally, when I have large orders and a lot of crops to harvest, and that is my way of giving back to the community and helping to empower the needy,” she added.
Tumelo advises the youth to look beyond their financial background, and use resources around them to change their lives, as success is not determined by ones economic background, but by hard work and dedication to goals and dreams.
