Even after the hard lockdown brought them to their knees and they were forced to close all their shops last year, Mini Orbits felt the need to give back to the community by spoiling frontline workers around Nelson Mandela Bay with delectable doughnuts.
Owner of Mini Orbits, Aziez Davids, said that he wants to do what he can to reward healthcare workers for the outstanding work that they do.
“I recently lost a cousin of mine to COVID-19.
“She was like a sister to me, so it was very hard for us. The most difficult thing for me was the fact that we couldn’t visit her in hospital but had to rely on phone calls to the nurses.
“Every time I phoned to find out how my cousin was doing, I spoke to a friendly nurse who made me feel better about the situation we were in and after my cousin passed, I actually felt comforted after speaking to the nurses at the hospital.
“I just realised again how much they do for us while putting their own lives at risk,” he explained.
Davids went to West End Clinic, where he surprised staff with feel-good food. “They were so shocked but most of all, appreciative,” he added.
He also plans on visiting more clinics and hospitals across Nelson Mandela Bay with a few doughnuts in hand.
Davids said that losing everything when they had to close up shop, was really hard on him and his family but, luckily, the company had risen from the ashes and was now flourishing as the Bay’s first ever doughnut delivery service, after receiving help from investors.
“When we lost our business, we adopted the ‘do-nut’ give up attitude. We had to learn to cut all luxuries, but luckily I came from humble beginnings and it also helped that my wife, Raahil, still had a job.”
He mentioned that they used to specialise in mini douoghnuts for certain clientele, but had to totally change the concept, when his mother-in-law came up with the idea of making bigger doughnuts and selling them on a wholesale level.
After taking a leap of faith and doing just that, Mini Orbits managed to bounce back and, although they are not yet where they were before, Davids said that things were going steady and well.
Their brand can now be found in Engen outlets across the metro, Spar Waterfront and they also supply to certain factories and companies.
“We have a lot to be grateful for and these donations are not for attention or the purpose of getting something back in return.
“We want our frontline workers to know that we are thinking of them and genuinely appreciate everything they do for us.”
