Cape Town – Urban Tshisanyama is taking kasi culture to the next level by firing authentic kasi flavours in the Cape Winelands.
With great company, drinks, and good music, the tshisanyama joint is venturing into a new business avenue by partnering up with the Slow Market Nederburg to curate a diverse space at the market.
Stemming from the dream of three CPUT students who combined their expertise, drive, and vision to take the essence of African cuisine to a new level, the trio signed a contract to operate at the Nederburg wine estate, serving the full package of South African taste.
When Urban Tshisanyama’s co-founder, Aviwe Jacobs, was approached about the deal, he said was ecstatic, jumping for joy, as their version of taking up space was slowly but surely coming to life.
“When we were presented with the opportunity to operate at the Nederburg wine estate, I literally jumped up and down after sealing a deal that’s of this magnitude because for us it’s a start of something great and it shows that were gradually growing as a brand and business because this truly grasped our ‘kasi to town’ vision.
“Our main priority is diversity because that’s what the South African tradition is all about. So having something that could diversify cultures and races (Rainbow nation) is something that we are aligned to because we do not want to focus on a specific race or culture. So that tourists can experience the full package of being in South Africa, which I think would contribute to elevating the economy and what it has to offer,” said Jacobs.
Striving to offer customers an authentic taste, Slow Market Nederburg marketing manager, Wyomia Mouwers, said that bringing Urban Tshisanyama on board brought that proudly South African flavour to the table.
“The Slow Market is a brand, independent from Nederburg Wines, though they are our partners at Slow Market Nederburg. The Slow Market has been in existence for more than 13 years and came into existence with the intent to provide a platform for small businesses to grow. Our previous location at Oude Libertas in Stellenbosch and our Slow Market Willowbridge serves the same purpose. We are thrilled to have Urban Tshisanyama as part of our trader family, where they are able to grow with the support of Slow Market, Nederburg and their fellow vendors.
“We hope that our market’s diverse product offering will inspire our customers to embrace and celebrate cultural diversity. Urban Tshisanyama’s story is inspiring on so many levels, from Aviwe carrying on with his father’s legacy of a traditional township business to three young students taking the initiative to found a start-up and marketing it appropriately, making it appealing to all markets in the hospitality landscape . We hope the Urban Tshisanyama team inspires many young entrepreneurs and serves as proof that small businesses have a future, if creativity is well applied,” said Mouwers.
Still wrapping his head around his ’new normal’, Jacobs added that it is onwards and upwards from here.
“I have three words that I like saying that are motivational for me which is ”onwards and upwards from here“, meaning every time we achieve something we’ve set a new standard for ourselves and try to achieve higher goals and not be relaxed in one place. Basically, this is the first of many branches that we’re opening and we are looking to finally go national and even international, to infinity and beyond,” said Jacobs.
Weekend Argus