Johannesburg - Joburg couple Kabelo Molepo and Poppy Louw have turned the lockdown adversity to success through their small business, Daddy Bae’s Kitchen.
What started as a cooking challenge among friends during the lockdown gave rise to a lucrative business and employment to its founder, Molepo.
“I have always been a hustler, and I worked through varsity. I have tried to have a formal job before but I have never been a nine-to-five person, so this lockdown came at a good time,” said Molepo.
Molepo, who is the founder and face of the brand, said the idea came about after he had made cookies for one of their cooking competitions, when his friends said he was on to something.
“We had a competition where we would come up with a menu, which we would cook and drop at the door. We had a ranking system, and what’s funny is I would cook a lot and I’d still finish last, but the response I got from the cookies was that I was on to something, “ said Molepo.
He said it took a lot of convincing but the venture had worked in his favour.
The couple, originally from Kimberley, said the demand they got from people around them and social media prompted them to continue.
“The lockdown worked in our favour. We started selling on May 3 with the help of Mohamed, who owns the convenience store downstairs. He allowed us to sell our cookies without any mark-up, allowing us to keep all the profits,” said Louw.
The traction they got on social media made them popular and they now sell their cookies in Kimberley and Joburg, where they sell at the convenience store and Louw’s work, as well as around Pretoria. They also do deliveries in Joburg.
The business started with just 48 cookies, and now they bake 500 a day.
Molepo described a day at Daddy Bae’s Kitchen as “hectic”.
“I wake up at about 7am, make the premix for the orders we have, then bake and package. I started with stock of R400, and now we own R2 000 in stock,” Molepo said.
The couple, who have been together for six years, said they faced many challenges but this time had been a blessing to them as a family.
“It has been a challenging six years and it was a tough experience. Kabelo is very passionate about cooking. I’m very proud of him. In just a short period he is thriving,” said Louw.
Molepo urged people to use this time to look at things they could do to better themselves.
“To everyone who might be struggling with lockdown right now, whether it is with formal employment or job searching, my advice is that if you could put the time and energy into yourself, imagine how much you could achieve,” said Molepo.
The cookies, which are choc-chip and oats flavour, are available through their WhatsApp order line and social media account for people in Kimberley, Pretoria and Joburg.
The couple have started collaborating with other entrepreneurs and have managed to secure a collaboration with a professional chef based in Joburg and Pretoria.
They said they could not provide the name of the chef yet, but their customers should keep watching their social media pages.