From raw crop to baked cookie

Rachel Kalipi, who has been dubbed the ‘Investments and Mahangu Cookie Queen’ by The Zone, started her mahangu-cookie business in 2015, but dabbled in estate investment, and invested in publicly owned and traded companies through the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) before that.
The 35-year-old Kalipi is a Namibian entrepreneur who is passionate about developing the local food industry through adding value to raw products, and then making them available to the local market, which she believes is first step in reducing unnecessary imports from countries like South Africa.
Kalipi, who accidentally founded her mahangu cookie business, is now selling her cookies in over 20 shops across the country. She holds a Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Namibia and an Honours degree in Accounting from the University of South Africa.
Rachel is also a Global Chartered Management Accountant through the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the United Kingdom. During her time at university, she says that she struggled with English, as she was a second-language speaker, and had great difficulty with the pace at which university students were expected to work. “I also didn’t have sufficient financing to acquire all resources I needed for my studies, such as books,” she
recalls.
Growing up seeing my parents struggle on a daily basis to feed a family of 14 has motivated her to work hard and improve the living standard and quality of life. “There wasn’t enough of anything, including food, and I vowed to work hard for a better life.
“Under the status quo, Namibia is a net-importer of food, especially from neighbouring South Africa. We have raw produce in the country, but what we lack is value addition through food processing, preservation and branding.
My passion for gardening and good food has been the fuel behind me entering the food market.”
Some of the start-up challenges that she experienced when she brought the mahangu cookies to the market included penetrating the market and getting shelf space in retailers, as well as logistical issues around the distribution of the cookies to all corners of the
country.
“Shortage of skilled labour and finding suppliers for the basic services - like the printing of the packaging - were all challenges that I faced,” said Rachel.
She said that the business was nowhere near breakeven but that she and her team see long-term potential in this industry and that is what is important for them right now.
Rachel advises that business is not only about making money, but about identifying gaps, problems and challenges in the market and finding solutions to fill those gaps or solutions to the problems.
“I have people to manage the day-to-day operations, while I focus on the strategic issues related to the business.
I also make sure that I make time available for rest, read and travel,” Kalipi commented in relation to how she runs her business and how it is that she maintains a good work-life balance.
“By doing so, one day you will reap monetary benefits , but one gets a greater sense of satisfaction by finding a solution to a problem to which consumers are happy with and willing to pay for,” Rachel encouraged.
When The Zone asked Kalipi about her thoughts on the employment situation for young people in the country, she said that “the government is trying to create an enabling environment for young people to enter and succeed in business, but there is still much to be done.
Young people are discouraged to enter business because of unrealistic expectations from funders and finding suitable places to operate businesses from. I don’t think there is a lack of money in Namibia, but there is reluctance by financial institutions in funding start-ups,” she noted.
The young entrepreneur also highlighted her passion around eradicating teenage pregnancies, as well as the stigma attached to being a teenage mother in our
country. “We are killing the hopes of young mothers who deserve a better life, regardless of whether they are teenage mothers or not. We are not giving them a fair chance to continue with their studies which seriously impacts their individual futures,” Kalipi passionately declared. Kalipi, who said that she wasn’t inspired by a specific person, made it known that she admires all the hardworking women who balance work and business, as well as children and their studies.
“Women have superpowers! I don’t idolise people but I do get inspiration from all the people doing good to make the world a better place for everybody,” she
remarked.
She advised other young Namibians to have a clear purpose and vision as to why they are running their business, and encouraged them to do research on their business concept, and to find a mentor who has fair understanding of business and it able to direct and guide you through the process of being a young business person.
Keith Vries