By Selloane Ntshonyane
- Itumeleng Modiba from Hammanskraal launched Frulie Juice after fearing retrenchment and wanting stable income in a struggling South African economy.
- His small juice business faces rising production costs, water cuts and funding delays from the National Youth Development Agency, slowing its growth.
Itumeleng Modiba refused to let unemployment decide his future.
With jobs becoming harder to find and keep, the Hammanskraal entrepreneur chose to build his own path. He started Frulie Juice one year and five months ago after several earlier business attempts failed.
Modiba says the state of the economy pushed him to think differently. He did not want to depend on a nine to five job that could disappear at any time.
“I know how easy it is to get retrenched or lose a job, I never wanted losing a job to feel like I’ve failed in life,” said Modiba.
Frulie Juice makes 100 percent fruit juices. The flavours include apple, mixed berries and tropical. A 300 millilitre bottle sells for R15. A 500 millilitre bottle costs R20.
It costs him R9 to produce one bottle. An outsourced company handles the manufacturing process.
But running the business has not been easy.
Production costs have gone up. Water cuts also affect manufacturing. When there is no water, production stops. That means he cannot supply customers on time.
“There were times I had to pay more for manufacturing. Water cuts also pause production, and then I disappoint clients because I run out of stock,” he said.
Many of his customers are also under financial pressure. Most people focus on basic household needs first. Only those who make a point of supporting small businesses continue to buy his juice.
The business is still not his main source of income.
Modiba has applied for help from the National Youth Development Agency. He says strict rules and long delays slow down the process.
“We need agencies that act fast. Sometimes it feels like funding comes when businesses are already failing,” he said.
Even with these challenges, Modiba believes patience, consistency and strong family support will help him grow his brand.
Pictured above: Itumeleng Modiba.
Image source: supplied
