In 2017, he was selling hotdogs and sausage rolls outside a tshisa-nyama, looking for something to make his food stand out. He started experimenting, trying out new recipes and creating exotic sauce flavors, and his sauce manufacturing business, 043, was launched.
Now East London’s 33-year-old Siphelele Zekani produces a range of tasty sauces, including hot and mild sweet garlic sauces, mint sauce, and the Garli-nero sauce, an organic sauce with no artificial preservatives or emulsifiers.
“The Garli-nero sauce is named after garlic and habanero because those are its two dominant ingredients. I ferment it, and it makes its own preservative by converting its own sugar into lactic acids,” he said.
Zekani explained that with his brand name, he pays homage to the community of East London. “043 represents East London’s telephone code where my business was established and my manufacturing plant is stationed.”
Even though he has moved to Cape Town to seek greener pastures and fulfill his goal of penetrating the restaurant market, he will never forget where his wings sprouted.
His sauces have a six-month shelf life but must be stored at room temperature. They are available at Spar retail outlets across the province.
“I have been struggling to expand to other retail stores because of my low production capacity. I have been seeking funding to grow my business and get more equipment like modern high-shear mixers,” he said.
