By Nkhensani Mthombeni
- Kgaugelo Ramphago, founder of Kasi Sauce in Phalaborwa, says rising costs should push his R35 bottle to R70 but he will not do it.
- Kasi Sauce started in 2021 and now supplies the Roots Group’s butchery, wholesale and restaurant stores across Limpopo, as well as local shops.
Kgaugelo Ramphago knows exactly what his sauce is worth. He also knows his customers cannot pay that price — and he has chosen them over the margin.
The 38-year-old entrepreneur founded Kasi Sauce in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, in 2021. His bottles sell from R35. By his own calculation, the quality he puts into each one justifies R70. He has not charged R70. He says he never will.
“The R35 bottle, based on the quality I offer, should be R70, but I can’t sell a R70 bottle in the townships,” Ramphago said.
“It does not make monetary sense for them to spend so much on a sauce. I sacrifice for my people to enjoy a good sauce at a low price.”
The pressure on that sacrifice is growing. Packaging costs have gone up. The chillies he uses have gone up. Fuel costs, which affect every delivery he makes, have gone up. He absorbs what he can and stays profitable. The R35 price holds.
Ramphago did not start out as a sauce maker. He worked as a barman, including a stint in the Seychelles where he spent time alongside chefs who made everything from scratch using local produce. He brought that approach home to Limpopo.
“In the Seychelles, sauces and even drinks are made from local produce,” he said.
“I learnt how to make sauces from the chefs I was working close to.”
He resigned from bar work in 2021, took the leap and built the range from mild to extra hot.
What started as orders and event stalls has grown. Kasi Sauce now supplies the Roots Group, which runs butchery, wholesale and Roots Grill fast-food stores across Limpopo, as well as restaurants and local shops in the area.
Ramphago has a message for young people watching jobs disappear around them.
“Don’t wait on the government to spoon-feed you,” he said.
“Start seeing yourself as an employer rather than staying depressed waiting for the next job opening.”
Pictured above: Kgaugelo Ramphago, founder of Kasi Sauce, at work in Phalaborwa, Limpopo.
Image source: Supplied
