Vesela-Ntimbani said the idea to commercialise mopani worms came after she left her corporate job and became a mother.
“I had to think out of the box – modernising it and catching up with the times,” she said. “What is going to make the targeted customer want to buy or try the product? That answer came in the form of four products – dried mopani worms, powder for cooking, biscuits and a protein bar.
“Why the protein bar? It’s because mopani worms contain 60% natural protein,” she explained. “When I did my research on top-selling food products globally that contain protein, one of them was a protein bar. That’s when I went on a mission to make them.”
Three years into her venture, Vesela-Ntimbani says her biggest challenge is still visibility and distribution. While her products are available online, they have yet to break into national retail chains.
“The South African consumer wants to walk into a store and pick up the product – and that’s where the challenge has been.”
Despite this hurdle, she said the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People are so intrigued and embracing it. Mostly, they want a taste of how I took an indigenous ingredient and turned it into biscuits and an energy bar,” she said.
Vesela-Ntimbani hopes that with time and the right partnerships, Matomani will find its way onto supermarket shelves and into everyday South African homes – not just as a snack, but as a proudly local innovation.
SowetanLIVE