Africa-Press – Lesotho. In less than a month of its introduction to the market, Bokang Matlosa’s soft drink – Tholoana has captured the local retailers and supermarkets. Tholoana
is the first Lesotho fizz drink manufactured in Lesotho, and will seemingly give hope to many Basotho entrepreneurs and encourage a shift from a fixed mindset.
Matlosa revealed to Informative Newspaper that she has a capacity to produce more than 5000 litres of her product. Her factory is located in Teya-Teyaneng and in just three weeks of launching, the company supplies six
supermarkets in Teya-Teyaneng, five supermarkets in Mapoteng, two supermarkets in Maputsoe and five shops and supermarkets in Maseru. “The idea to go into
beverage industry came about when I realized that drinks were consumed at a high scale during the summer of 2020 then I saw an opportunity to tap into this
market and offer something different,” she mentioned. She noted that she started somewhere before producing the fizzy drink, she has her first business which produces
necta syrups Fruit Extract (PTY) LTD but her interest in a fizzy drink led her to this product. “In 2021, I experienced a decline in sales for the necta syrup
then I decided to go back to the drawing board to come up with a new product, unlike the previous product, it is a bit costly to produce and market as I had
to spend a lot of money for the marketing episodes,” she said. She also mentions that syrups always needs to be diluted with other liquids before consumption
therefore they are a bit of a headache to deal with the market we have in Lesotho,” she said. Matlosa conducted a research before starting her business and she found out that about 80% of the goods consumed in
the country are imported from South Africa including beverages as well as fruits, “I also identified a lack of locally produced beverages in the market,”
she declared. “Tholoana is a versatile name that is used in different context but for us it is a ‘seed’. Seeds are the beginning or the start of all life
forms. Seed representing opportunity for change, new beginnings and new hope,” she elaborated. She noted that despite some challenges such as not having enough capital and hence human resource, the support
in the country is amazing and the business is quickly growing. Matlosa is a 31 year old female born and bred in Maseru, he holds an Honours Degree in Interior Design from the University of Johannesburg.
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