Mdubeki employs six permanent workers and receives his aloe supply from women in the local community.
“I have trained women to process aloes for the business. Everything is done in-house, from mixing to packaging, and I buy garlic from local farmers,” he said.
Mdubeki’s self-funded business has a R600 000 annual turnover, which he aims to grow.
“It was a problem to get financing to start my business. I had no capital and started off with my salary. I never formally trained to manufacture products, but I did my research,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mdubeki plans to expand his business by manufacturing bath soap.
“I want to grow the business by supplying products to other provinces and employing more local people to supply raw ingredients.”
• This article was originally published in the GCIS Vuk'uzenzele.