North-West University (NWU) Alumnus Siyabonga Mhlabane has been nominated for the FOYA Awards 2022 in the category of the Most Promising Founder of the Year under 30.
Launched in 2016, the annual FOYA Awards recognises and appreciates young founders contributing to the development of the African continent, while creating sustainable jobs through entrepreneurship and inspiring others to start their own businesses.
Siya’s company, Kol Xpres (Pty) Ltd earned him a nomination in the first round, and after the voting process, he came out number one in the category Most Promising Founder under 30
He has now advanced to the second and final stage of the voting process. During this stage, category winners in each country and age group will compete for the African category trophy against their winning counterparts in the other countries, with 60% of the determination being by the public and 40% by an executive voting panel comprising previous FOYA winners.
Siya’s company connects farmers to sustainable markets across Africa, and currently operates from their distribution centre in the Nelspruit central business district with a staff of five employees.
Kol Xpres provides temperature-controlled warehousing (freezer, cold room and dry/ambient storage), transportation, and complete distribution channel solutions to the food services, retail and hospitality industries.
Siya says they strive to offer the best distribution channels for a variety of frozen meat products, including chicken, beef, and fish.
“We source all our products from local farmers who have the capacity to meet our demand.
“In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to close down our farming operations due to financial strain. However, through rigorous planning and strategising, we dug deeper to come up with amicable ways to continue with the business. This led to a complete overhaul of our business model, and Kol Xpres (Pty) Ltd was born,” explains Siya.
Siya says being recognised and representing South Africa is a huge step for him as entrepreneur, and also a boast for Kol Xpres, as it will now have a footprint in Africa.
“Our change in business operations over the past two years has proven to be the best decision, as we have witnessed immense revenue growth,” he adds.
Kol Xpres is currently part of the South African Breweries Foundation’s well-tailored Tholoana entrepreneurship programme, which provides funding, monitoring and mentorship through an intense 18-month period.
Click here to vote for Siya
