POLOKWANE – The 39-year-old from Bendor is bringing chilli lovers joy with Lerato M Hot Sauces. Lerato makes her own sauces from scratch and puts a lot of love into it.
Available in flavours such as chilli garlic, smokey hot, chilli paste and sweet chilli, she promises a unique taste. She started her business in August last year during the lockdown with encouragement from family. “I make a mean marinade and my family really enjoy it. I would make it for them before I decided to turn it into a business,” she explained.
It took her a month to put everything together, from creating the perfect combinations to packaging the product and having it ready to hit the stores. The response to her hot sauces has been encouraging. She hopes that a year from now, she will be in a position to operate from a factory and create employment. “Right now I only have two people assisting when I have large orders, but my wish is to create permanent employment for more people,” she said.
Lerato has over 10 years’ experience in the mining industry and she was retrenched in 2017. She saw it as an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and become a businesswoman. She also dipped her toe into courier services and scholar transport. “But lockdown came and it had a negative impact on business. Unfortunately the scholar transport business did not survive the lockdown, however, we are moving on with the hot sauces and I also sell cleaning detergents,” she said.
Lerato is building a hot sauce empire and the fan favourite so far is the chilli garlic flavour. Get your taste of African flavours by contacting her on 078 884 3815.
