What's Happening?

Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

NEED HELP? QUESTIONS@FIA.ORG.ZA

become A FIA member TODAY
member login

Determination and perseverance make for a strong local blend

ARTICLE BY

  • Libby Peacock

SHARE THIS POST

What’s the secret to great coffee?

Moeletsi Mailula and Pride Radebe believe the origin of the beans, the altitude at which they are grown and the soil that nurtures them – combined with expert roasting and blending – are key to making the most flavoursome brew.

And the pair should know. As the enterprising co-founders of Joburg-based Ground One Coffee, they literally wake up to smell the coffee – every day.

The idea for their one-stop “coffee emporium” was sparked when Mailula – an IT specialist – and Radebe – who was “in the coffee game” as a salesman and trainer – started talking after meeting at the gym.

Mailula says, “We met at a critical time in both our lives – we were ready. I was interested in opening a company; Pride had been in the hospitality beverage industry and grew within the ranks … [We knew] our combination would be perfect.”

Soon, they were business partners and launched their fledgling coffee company in 2017.

It was no easy road. Applications for funding to various development finance institutions were unsuccessful and, in the end, it was family members who put their faith in the start-up and lent them the capital allowing them to source equipment so they could start selling locally roasted wholesale coffee.

“We registered our company and immediately started building our brand … We had to learn everything from scratch,” says Mailula.

The venture took off, but then the pandemic hit. “Covid really crippled our momentum – it’s a business killer. We’re still in its aftermath … recovery is a mountain we’re still climbing.”

Being chosen as one of the small businesses supported by Hollard’s Big Ads for Small Business campaign – an initiative in which the insurer shared its own advertising spaces with selected SMMEs to help them grow, overcome the effects of the pandemic, and enable better futures for them and their communities – was a big boost to the company, says Radebe.

“It meant a lot to us. Our brand has had exposure we couldn’t imagine – people have seen us [on billboards and other advertising spaces] and trust our brand. We’re fortunate and still expecting so much more [in terms of results] …”

The visibility provided by the campaign helped Ground One Coffee secure a number of new clients. The Leonardo hotel in Sandton, for example, has a number of the company’s coffee machines in use; and the business is working on plans to build capital to move into the new segment of “coffee boutique stores”.

Growing and giving back

With offices (which formed a big part of their client base) shut during the lockdown, online sales became key. But, says Radebe, “we’re now expanding into retail coffee stores – we have a concept store in Prison Break Market [in Midrand] where we sell our coffee and related products. It’s doing well, so many should follow … We know exactly what the market wants.”

From a two-person start-up with no premises, Ground One Coffee has grown to employ 10 staff members – “a small team, with everyone wearing multiple hats”.

The company’s safe, spacious 700m2 Roodepoort site is the perfect base for their operations, which span “anything and everything coffee”: from sourcing the beans, roasting, blending, packaging and supplying, to training and providing clients with equipment and technical support.

What differentiates Ground One Coffee is its focus on sourcing beans from coffee-producing countries worldwide to create perfectly balanced blends (in March this year, for example, it focused on Brazil, Ethiopia and Colombia) – and that it tailor-makes solutions for different establishments, he adds.

Already, the enterprise delivers across the country and to several neighbouring countries – and the ambitious aim is for global reach in 2023.

Developing more products, opening more retail outlets and being present at more coffee events are all on the cards, but giving back to the community is “at the heart” of the business, says Mailula. Ground One Coffee is, for example, currently working on an upliftment programme to provide township entrepreneurs with training and products to set up mobile coffee stands. 

“We’re here to grow and build … We want to have an enormous impact on the coffee market and the lives of our team.”

Their message to other young people who want to start a business is to believe in yourself, says Radebe. “Nothing can prepare you for the entrepreneurship journey. Your why has to be strong to keep up with your commitment. You have to strive, seek, build and never yield.”

The secret to their own success? “God, discipline, hard work, commitment, unimaginable work ethic, a great team and family support.”

* Read more about Ground One Coffee here: https://www.groundone.co.za/ (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groundone.roastery.1https://twitter.com/groundonecoffeehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/ground-one-coffee/about/https://www.instagram.com/groundonelife/?hl=en).

 

Find out more about the Big Ads for Small Business campaign: https://www.hollard.co.za/bigads 

 

Subscriber Terms and Conditions

  1. APPLICATION OF TERMS
    • These terms and conditions (“Subscriber Terms”) apply to the subscription by any qualifying member of the South African Underwriting Managers Association NPC (“SAUMA”) to the services and benefits offered by FIA Services (Pty) Ltd (“FIA Services”) under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement (“Subscription”).

  2. NATURE OF SUBSCRIPTION
    • A Subscription under this arrangement:
      • does not constitute membership of FIA NPC;
      • does not confer any voting rights or governance participation in FIA NPC; and
      • is governed solely by the contractual relationship between the Subscriber and FIA Services.

  1. ELIGIBILITY
    • To qualify for the Subscription, the applicant must, at the time of application, be a current paid-up member of SAUMA.
    • FIA Services will verify the applicant’s SAUMA membership status with SAUMA prior to activation, and may re-verify such status periodically.
    • If a Subscriber ceases to be a paid-up member of SAUMA, the Subscription will correspondingly be terminated.
    • Applicants are required to authorise FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA as part of the application process.

  1. SERVICES
    • The Subscription entitles the Subscriber to the following benefits:
      • Complimentary access to the FIA CPD Platform;
      • Complimentary access to the FIA Insight Magazine (digital edition);
      • Advertising opportunities on FIA platforms at a discounted rate of 15% (fifteen percent) off the prevailing published rates; and
      • Invitations to attend FIA Technical Webinars annually.
    • FIA Services reserves the right to update, vary or substitute the Services from time to time, provided that the overall value and nature of the benefits remain materially the same.

  1. FEES AND PAYMENT
    • The monthly subscription fee is R260.00 (two hundred and sixty rand) for up to seven registered individuals (Key Individuals and Representatives), and R36.00 (thirty-six rand) per additional registered individual thereafter, excluding VAT.
    • The Subscriber shall provide FIA Services with the required details of each individual to be registered under the Subscription for the purposes of activation and billing.
    • All fees are exclusive of VAT, which shall be charged at the prevailing statutory rate.
    • Subscription fees are reviewed annually in March and may be adjusted with effect from 1 April.
    • Any changes to the Subscription, including but not limited to the number of Representatives and Key Individuals registered under the Subscription, may only be effected once annually during the annual review period in March of each year, with such changes taking effect from 1 April.
    • Subscription fees shall be billed monthly in arrears, unless the Subscriber elects an annual billing cycle at the time of application.
    • The Subscriber shall ensure that all billing information (including contact details, authorised signatories and bank account details) is kept accurate and up to date.
    • Non-payment of subscription fees may result in suspension of access to the Services until such fees are brought up to date.
    • The Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that all subscription fees payable under these Subscriber Terms may be collected by way of debit order, which shall be processed by the holding company, FIA NPC (The Financial Intermediary Association of South Africa), on behalf of FIA Services. Payment to FIA NPC shall be deemed to constitute valid and sufficient discharge of the Subscriber’s payment obligations to FIA Services under these Subscriber Terms.

  1. ONBOARDING
    • Onboarding will be conducted as a Subscription with FIA Services under the SAUMA affiliation arrangement.
    • Onboarding will not confer FIA NPC membership status or any associated rights.
    • Onboarding is conditional on confirmation of the Subscriber’s current SAUMA membership at the time of application

  1. DATA PROTECTION
    • FIA Services will process all personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) as set out in our POPIA policies.
    • By subscribing, the Subscriber authorises FIA Services to confirm their SAUMA membership status with SAUMA and to process personal information for the purposes of fulfilling the Subscription.

  1. TERMINATION
    • The Subscriber may terminate the Subscription by giving FIA Services one calendar month’s written notice.
    • FIA Services may terminate the Subscription on one calendar month’s written notice, or immediately if the Subscriber breaches these Subscriber Terms and fails to remedy such breach within 14 (fourteen) days of receiving written notice.
    • Termination of the SAUMA–FIA Services affiliation agreement shall not automatically terminate these Subscriber Terms.
    • Termination by the Subscriber shall not relieve the Subscriber of liability for any subscription fees accrued up to the effective date of termination.
    • FIA Services may suspend or terminate the Subscription with immediate effect in the event of non-payment of fees by the Subscriber.

  1. GENERAL
    • These Subscriber Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
    • Any disputes arising under these Subscriber Terms shall be dealt with in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions contained in the FIA NPC membership terms and conditions, as modified to reflect that the contractual relationship is with FIA Services.
    • Any notices required under these Subscriber Terms may be validly delivered by email to the addresses provided in the Subscriber’s application form, and such notices shall be deemed received on the day of transmission if sent during business hours.
    • The Subscriber may not assign, cede or transfer any of its rights or obligations under these Subscriber Terms without the prior written consent of FIA Services.
    • No variation of these Subscriber Terms shall be of any force or effect unless reduced to writing and signed by both FIA Services and the Subscriber.