New Nkukhu-Box outlet open in Temba, Hammanskraal

Entrepreneurship can be an exciting venture, especially when you are part of the manifestation of a novel idea, like owning and running a Nkukhu-Box; an exciting new franchise network making waves in townships across the country.

The unique value proposition of the Nkukhu-Box franchise is that it fully embraces the kasi flavours and lifestyle, while offering a relatively easy access to a profitable business opportunity for local people who understand local culture and the township vibe.
If you think cultural intelligence is not important, just ask a few global brands that have recently been caught napping on this issue and they will tell you that ignorance of your target audience’s culture can be extremely costly to your brand.

The old adage, think global and act local has never been more relevant. However, at Nkukhu-Box we say just keep it local, for now! This approach has given the franchise a deep understanding of the township pallet, which is one of its success factors.

One of the latest additions to the Nkukhu-Box franchise network opened its doors to the public in Temba, Hammanskraal situated north of Gauteng, and is owned and run by Asanda Maqabuka — a lively, high-spirited female entrepreneur with big plans for her franchise and her community.
“I took an interest in Nkukhu-Box primarily because of their business model. You will not find a Nkukhu-Box at the big malls that are sprawling all over the country,” says Asanda. “This actually gives the franchise great flexibility because if it so happens, that a particular area is not attracting enough traffic to maintain the desired revenue targets, we simply move the box to another area with potential,” says Asanda.

The physical structure of a Nkukhu-Box outlet is made from refurbished shipping containers that are cost-effective to set-up, and this makes it possible for people in the middle strata of the financial hierarchy to access this business opportunity.

The franchise caters to the township market on two levels; firstly by providing quality food with flavours that originate from the township and are tailored for their pallets; secondly by providing employment to people living in the township where the franchise operates.

“Nkukhu-Box has been uncompromising when it comes to hiring local staff, we only hire people from the surrounding community. If you look at my store in Temba, everyone working there lives within walking distance from work, and our store supervisor lives just across the road. The store’s presence has really uplifted the community by creating desperately needed jobs,” says Asanda.
Asanda, who has always been entrepreneurially inclined, previously had a construction company that she ran with a friend in KwaZulu-Natal, which she has chosen to put aside for now in order to focus all her energy on the more lucrative Nkukhu-Box venture.

When asked of her plans for the future, she says she is in the process of acquiring yet another Nkukhu-Box store, expected to start operating before the end of 2018. To Asanda, this is just one small step towards her long-term goal of becoming a globally recognised businesswoman.

“The community of Temba has embraced the arrival of Nkukhu-Box, and marketing the brand was relatively stress free. By the time we opened for business, word-of-mouth had just about covered the entire area, our task was simply to make sure that we do not disappoint and that we stay true to the brand’s promise of providing locally inspired quality food, a welcoming environment and good value for money,” concludes Asanda.