The Producers

Waffling their way to success: Kitamu's founders have hit the sweet spot

Panashe Chitumba and Lungisa Nkosinkulu have found their niche selling decadent 'bubble' waffles at Rosebank's Rooftop Market. They tell us more

16 June 2019 - 00:08 By Hilary Biller
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Kituma's 'bubble' waffles are shaped like honeycombs and come in four absolutely scrumptious combinations.
Kituma's 'bubble' waffles are shaped like honeycombs and come in four absolutely scrumptious combinations.
Image: Supplied

Making waffles that look like honeycomb is a weekend job we take seriously. Kitamu is a Swahili word which means "tasty" or "delicious" with reference to food or drinks. Kitamu waffles look like a large honeycomb and are referred to as "bubble" or "egg" waffles, which makes them unique. This treat originated in Hong Kong and is sold on street corners as a plain breakfast or snack.

We weren't the first to bring these "bubble" waffles to SA - we only discovered this after researching the business. So our motto is "we're not the first, we won't be the last, but we will be the best".

We believe our bubble waffles are unique and diverse. We make four different flavours - a vanilla base waffle such as Candy Land with candy on top; Sweet and Salty that comes with a combination of Marie biscuits and salty pretzels, our charcoal black waffle served with activated charcoal powder and Oreos and, last but not least, our famous Godfather waffle, a chocolate base waffle that comes with crushed Oreos, chocolate bits, wafers and is drizzled with Nutella. The waffles can either be served in our "Kitamu Cone" or flat on a plate.

Panashe Chitumba and Lungisa Nkosinkulu have managed to start a successful waffle business and study at the same time.
Panashe Chitumba and Lungisa Nkosinkulu have managed to start a successful waffle business and study at the same time.
Image: Supplied

How do you manage to run the business when you are both studying?  (Panashe is studying for his real-estate degree and working in the family business and Lungi, a teacher, is studying SA sign language). It hasn't been the easiest of transitions in running our Sunday business as Kitamu takes a large portion of our time. We work throughout the week to ensure that the business is running seamlessly and smoothly, and believe that's one of the reasons behind our success. Sunday (their stall is at the Rosebank Rooftop Market, Joburg) is a culmination of work that started the previous Monday.

Our secret is in the dough - we use high-quality ingredients and have invested in equipment that makes the process easier. We initially started without a mixer, so we would mix the ingredients by hand in the bowl!

On an average day, we sell around 40 waffles a day. On good days the number rises to more than 70.

Visit Kitamu on Rooftop Market at The Mall, 50 Bath Ave, Rosebank, Joburg. It's open only on Sundays. See mykitamu.com


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