The humble, hand-made South African roti, infused with sub-continent culture and tradition, may soon be making its way to dinner tables around the world if a determined Pietermaritzburg entrepreneur has her way, writes Jonathan Erasmus.
Shashika Jaggernath, the owner and director of Pietermaritzburg-based Top Rotis, is currently enrolled in the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business (PMCB) global export accelerator programme, supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammen-arbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a German international development agency.
Jaggernath’s personal story of victory over adversity, her desire to experiment with her product, and her eagerness to learn from customer experience, have given her that special edge necessary for the programme. She is also an entrepreneur willing to take risks.
Just over a decade ago, the roti could only be found in home industry stores, markets, or via made-to-order.
“It was a tradition that was handed down from mother to daughter. Buying a roti was simply unheard of in a traditional Indian household. Now it is as easy as buying a loaf of bread.”
It was sheer financial survival that led her to making roti to sell, says Jaggernath, when the wellbeing of her family was under severe pressure.
“In about August 2010, my husband had a stroke and I needed to take over the reins of running the household. At the same time, there was a massive public sector strike, including all government hospitals, and my husband couldn’t access the treatment he needed. We were forced to go private, and with that, the bills kept on piling up.”
Jaggernath started making the versatile bread, intended for sale, in her home kitchen. Her first “big break”, she recalls, was a phone call from RK’s, a chain of Durban-based vegetarian restaurants.
“They asked me who made the best rotis, and I said, ‘I do’. This was followed by another chance conversation at a local Spar store. The manager, whom I knew, saw me with a bag of flour and asked what I was making. I told him it was roti. This exchange eventually led to me supplying a number of stores.”
What started on her stove soon engulfed the entire kitchen. The business was subsequently moved to a standalone premises, and thereafter, Jaggernath sub-divided the family property, sold off one half and used the capital to build her own production facility near her home in Ashburton, Pietermaritzburg.
And while her husband recovered, Jaggernath was ramping up production and now has a daily capacity of 5 000 rotis and employs five staff.
“My family has sacrificed as over the years the business took preference over everything.”
Jaggernath has since trademarked her company name and logo, but she trades on her interpersonal skills and values interactions with her core clients. Feedback is respected. Top Roti is always experimenting she says, adding that much of what appears to be new on the market is steeped in tradition, such as crafting roti from buckwheat or coconut flour.
“You don’t have to be a big business to be sustainable, you just have to have the fundamentals in place. We have been through two recessions, the lockdowns, looting, and floods, and we are still here. And we are still alive. Small businesses have that connection with customers. I have always done business on a much more personal basis and believe in quality clients over quantity.”
With 12 years in the game, Jaggernath’s advice to other burgeoning home industries wanting to break into the mainstream market is simple:
Never compromise on health and food safety standards.
“In the food industry you need to comply, and compliance is key to supplying the corporate clients. Accreditation comes at a hefty price, and that is why food products are so expensive.
“It was because Top Roti invested in compliance that we not only survived the harsh lockdowns as a result of Covid-19, but that we thrived. While many businesses were forced to close, we were deemed an essential service, allowing our doors to remain open. We did knock and drops and took a number of steps to meet the demand.”
Jaggernath said that the thought of participating in the PMCB export programme was initially daunting.
“I thought I was not ready, but I realised that there was much I could learn from the programme, so I applied and was accepted. Small businesses often fear they don’t have the capacity, but we should just try and put ourselves out there.”
“My dream has been to take the business to franchise and one day service airline clients. Now this export opportunity has come along,” she said.
The 12-month programme accepted 40 black-owned small businesses and aims to provide them with a suite of export-orientated development support. This includes training, mentoring, product development, international market research, international market access and business linkages.
“Being an entrepreneur, you must have guts. I don’t have an option but to succeed. An entrepreneur must always look at improving their game plan. The export programme gives us free access to mentors for a year and there is a sincerity to develop our businesses and give hope to people,” said Jaggernath. *