Ever had a eureka moment after finding the perfect solution to a problem? Tony Mepa’s moment resulted in a creation that nobody ever thought of doing.
He revolutionised atchaar from a solid condiment to a sauce. This is how his journey with Atchar Sauce began.
Currently residing in Buccleuch, Mepa has been an accountant for most of his life but has always felt an urge to write a cooking book based on African meals.
A light bulb went up one afternoon in 2010 when Mepa hosted a friend from Germany. While preparing a meal for his friend, he instantly thought of adding the spicy condiment to the meal. Mepa was later faced with an obstacle when his friend announced that he could not eat atchaar.
“I put atchaar in the meal for my friend. Sadly he could not eat it because he had braces at the time. The solution to the problem was always in the kitchen. I used my blender and presented the liquid-based atchaar in a small bowl. He asked me with excitement what the sauce was and I simply said atchaar. That’s when the idea came to me.”
A lot of research and sacrifices were made during the starting phases of his creation. One of the hardest sacrifices that Mepa made was selling two of his vehicles in order to rent a location to manufacture his products. After years of research and product testing, Mepa finally got the news he was looking for – approval from the National Department of Health.
One of his business partners, Dharmesh Juta, highlighted important qualities that the product has. “He has not taken away the original taste of atchaar, in fact, he opened a new channel for the consumption of mangoes. We use real mangoes and no added strange ingredients. Most of the oil is reduced and that’s what makes it low in fat. Lastly, it’s converted into a sauce base that can practically be used for anything.”
Mepa still plans on writing his cooking book. For more information, contact Tony Mepa on 010 335 0572.
