COVID-19 concoction unearths entrepreneur

A Free State woman who was determined to protect her family from contracting COVID-19 with a homemade concoction at the height of the pandemic now earns a living from selling the mixture. 

“When COVID-19 started, people were being advised to take ginger and lemon concoctions. I did the mixture to secure my family because I lived with elderly people,” Mtswako Immune Booster founder and managing director, Keketso Mokgothu said during a recent Vuk’uzenzele interview. 

Impressed by her produce, she then posted the mixture as a WhatsApp status. The mixture consisted of ginger, honey, lemon, turmeric and garlic as ingredients. It was then that a friend requested that she share a portion. After filling two jars and returning to her job, the friend placed an order for 17 more bottles two hours later. 

“At the time everyone was buying these ingredients and I ended up struggling to source them. I saw a gap but I was a bit sceptical as I didn’t see myself as a businessperson. But after my friend placed those 17 orders, I had a change of heart and was determined to give this a try,” she said.
 
And with that, Mtswako Immune Booster was established. 

A product diversification process in 2021 saw Mokgothu introduce sealed juice bottles. 

“It was basically for the convenience of the customer,” said the 36-year-old who holds an N6 in management assistance from the Goldfields Technical Vocational Education and Training College in Welkom.

Spurred-on by the positive response, Mokgothu had her produce tested and approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Today, the start-up produces three flavours. 

Beyond the company’s website, the produce can be purchased from Pick n Pay Odendaalsrus, Roots (Welkom), Elizabeth Street Pharmacy (Welkom), Empire Square Pharmacy (Welkom), and Spar (Riebeeckstad). 

“Starting this business was not at all easy, especially because it is something that people consume and growth relies on the feedback you get from the customers. I was struggling at some point because I couldn’t test my product,” she said.
She also detailed financial constraints that threatened to thwart the business’s growth prospects. 

Business support
Her fears were soon allayed when the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) supported the fledgling business with R50 000. 

Mokgothu used the money for product development, which involved product labelling, testing, and compliance with the SABS. The business, which currently employs three people, used a R50 000 voucher from the National Youth Development Agency to purchase much-needed equipment.

“Seda [Small Enterprise Development Agency] is my mother in business. They help me a whole lot. They did my trademark, marketing material and product testing,” she said chuckling.

While Standard Bank also bought the business more equipment, mining house Harmony opened doors to a 150sqm workshop for Mokgothu to operate from.  

In February 2024, the business walked away with another R50 000 in a business pitching competition by the Township Entrepreneurs Alliance in partnership with Nedbank.