From Backyard to Cape Town Shelves: The Story of Nkulu Foods

Six years ago, Nkululeko Mhlanga was grinding peanuts on a hand-cranked mill in his mother’s Cowdray Park kitchen, packing the result into recycled jam jars and selling them to neighbours for a dollar each. Today, Nkulu Foods peanut butter sits on shelves in 47 South African supermarkets.

The 31-year-old founder credits the turning point to a 2022 trade fair in Johannesburg, where his sample table caught the eye of a Pick n Pay regional buyer. “He bit into the brown bread I brought, closed his eyes, and asked if I could deliver six pallets in a month. I lied and said yes.”

Nkulu now operates a small certified facility in Belmont, employing fourteen women from the local community. He is currently negotiating export deals with a UK-based African foods distributor.

His advice to other Bulawayo entrepreneurs is unsentimental. “Don’t romanticise hustle. Hustle is a stage. You have to leave it as quickly as you arrived.”