Lioness Weekender spoke to the inspirational Swaady Martin to learn more about her personal entrepreneurial journey and the building of her business and brand.

You are founder and CEO of Yswara, a social enterprise that seeks to transform African agricultural commodities. Can you tell us a little about the successes achieved in this area? 

At YSWARA our aim is to contribute to the reversal of the African commodity trap, to create more prosperity for African farmers, and break the glass ceiling for young agribusiness entrepreneurs in Africa. 

For centuries, Africa has been exporting raw material without transforming them locally, an anomaly enforced by the legacy of colonial structures. Although Africa is the world’s 3rd largest exporter of tea (behind Sri Lanka and China), none of the top 500 tea brands of the $52 Billion tea market is from Africa. YSWARA is the first branded Specialty Tea African company in the world. 

In addition to the lack of representation, low mass market African teas represent ~99% of exports and are mostly sold through auctions. In the past 25 years, the price per Kg has been $1-2.5. YSWARA’s focus is to increase the global demand and export of high value African teas from 1% to 5% within the next 10 years which price per Kg is $20-120. The increased demand for high value African teas translates in better trade revenues and more prosperity for the African farmers. By creating demand for high quality teas, farmers’ revenues increase by 10-50X!

What are the group’s most significant achievements?

At Yswara, I am happy that I got to conceptualize, develop and test the Ubuntu business model which I believe is a revolutionary way to run companies where the human is really at the centre of all processes. The 4 key pillars of the business model are: wealth redistribution, localization, inclusiveness and care for all stakeholders. It is an adaptative model for which the specifics of each pillar are outlined based on the realities on the ground. 

In South Africa for example where Yswara is located, about 60% of children are raised by single moms so we put in place working from home and flexible hours long before the pandemic, since the company started in 2013. Our factory never had double shifts and closed every day at 4pm to allow mothers to supervise their children’s homework and education. We employed retrenched and retired workers to create an inter-generational work environment to ensure knowledge is transmitted and not lost and our elders are valued.

I believe with business model like these our societies would look very different. They will be healthier mentally and physically, happier and more harmonious.

What are your priority objectives now?

At YSWARA, we are adapting to the changing unpredictable environment and ensure that the company remains profitable. Currently, we have expanded our private labelling business line to create bespoke gifting for corporations and events.

At LovingKindness Boma, we are expanding into new languages and geographies mainly through licensing our books to various international publishing houses but also working to make the books accessible to the poorer communities and planning events to promote literacy and mindfulness. I am also writing more books.

At Tounche, we are always planning the next global summit but run other initiatives such as the James Patterson Healing & Reconciliation Circle, an initiative for healing of the conscious and unconscious (language, beliefs, bias, traumas, etc.) perpetuating institutionalized racism.

In your entire career, what initiatives and achievements are you most proud of?

Pride is not a feeling I associate with anything I do. I feel joy, happiness, fulfilment but never pride when it comes to my activities. I am not attached to anything I do or have done. What makes me the happiest is to create, to manifest something I had imagined in my head like the packaging of Yswara, the many books I have written or gathering incredible people from around the world for a celebration of our common humanity. All these things make me happy. I am generally happy to have the privilege to use and share my gifts in a meaningful way, to contribute the best I can to make the world a more loving place, to enjoy all I do, to meet incredible people and most importantly to be constantly learning and expanding from all the experiences. 

Do you miss your successful corporate career at GE?

No one knows what the future holds and it would be foolish to regret a future that is unknown. I loved working for GE and I love what I do now. And no one knows what I will be doing tomorrow including myself. That is the beauty of life, embracing the unknown and fully living in gratitude in the present moment.

What would you have liked to do that you haven’t achieved yet?

Nothing. I don’t set any objectives for myself other than trying to embody the love I would like to see in the world. And that is already a huge task as the most difficult thing is to change oneself.

What are the values that shape your work and life?

Non-attachment to material things, love, compassion, freedom, courage, diversity and integrity.

What do you see as the main challenges facing African entrepreneurs, and how might these be addressed? 

75% of Africa’s population is under 35 with youth unemployment being one of Africa’s most pressing challenges. Empowering entrepreneurship is the most effective solution, but African entrepreneurs are faced not only with the common barriers to entrepreneurship such as access to capital and skills but also, they have not been able to leverage all the opportunities globalization presents. 

In a very fragmented continent, access to large consumer markets means the ability to export globally through e-commerce. Since the global boom of e-commerce 25 years ago, African brands have not been able to tap into this opportunity mainly because of structural issues: routes to export inherited from colonial times, prohibitive cost to export, lack of efficient infrastructure, highly concentrated transport industry, etc. It is a complete anomaly that a continent of 1.4 billion people, 54 countries and incredible creative youth energy doesn’t have a single global e-commerce company. It costs up to 15 times more to export from Africa compared to Europe or America, for the same distance. Fuel cost is thus not the issue. Governments need to deregulate the transport industry to allow more competitive cost of export of finished goods out of Africa through the regular e-commerce transport channels.

You have so many areas that you work in. How do you prioritise your workload? 

As Michael Porter said, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” And this is exactly what I do. I have come to terms long time with what some would perceive as “dropping the ball” and accepted that some things will simply take longer to be done and that is completely fine. I pretty much live grounded in the present moment, prioritizing human connections and spiritual growth over material accomplishments. I am in no rush to achieve anything. Currently, I have been writing about 6 new children’s books, some of them have been in draft for more than 4 years waiting for more inspiration or just the right time to be fully birthed. What I enjoy the most is the journey not the destination. 

To find out more about Swaady’s journey as an entrepreneur, or to visit the YSWARA or LovingKindness Boma platforms, click on the links below:

Swaady: https://www.swaady.com/media

YSWARA: https://www.yswara.com/media

LovingKindnessBoma: https://www.lovingkindnessboma.com/media

What inspired you to start your company?

Fro’Niques was inspired by our love for Africanism, natural hair, and beauty. My sister and I keep and nurture natural hair and throughout our natural hair journey it was difficult to find the right products for our crown. By the right products we mean organic products that are chemical free with no parabens, silicon, and sulphates, hence we started Fro’niques as a way to close the gap.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

As kids growing up in the world where media influences beauty, we tend to get the picture in our minds that says your hair needs to look a “certain way” in order to be considered beautiful e.g., it should be straight or chemically processed. We’re tirelessly working to empower people to embrace and be proud of their roots, to know that there’s nothing wrong with their natural hair, it doesn’t have to be manipulated in any way. All it needs is the right products, which is what we offer at Fro’Niques. We want kids to grow up knowing that they are enough, their hair is beautiful the way it is.

Our products are made of carefully selected organic and plant-based ingredients that have countless benefits for the hair, and they are baby friendly. Fro’Niques is a home where beauty is celebrated at its core, that is why we provide all in house services from natural hair care products, to wash, to styling.

Tell us a little about your team

Our team is made of two young ladies who believe that everything possible as long as you put in all your effort, be consistent and intentional about achieving your goals. We are women who are self-made, we have made it a habit that we are going to provide the best quality services in our business, attend master classes and become experts in what we do. We shall in the future as we grow add other members to the team.

No farmer likes paperwork, but as respected independent dairy consultant Johan Heunis and Milk SA transformation director Godfrey Rathogwa recently told a training workshop of about 20 smallholder dairy farmers from across South Africa, avoid record-keeping and you won’t make money!

Records allow a diary farmer, and any other farmer, to compare results over time from different parts of the farming business. These help you understand what is going poorly and needs to be changed, and wat is doing well and should be built on.

Here are some of the top tips Johan and Godfrey shared when it comes to the records dairy farmers should keep if they want to make more profit. “The annual average number of dry cows should always be 20% or less than the number of total cows – cows in milk plus dry cows, but excluding the number of pregnant heifers,” says Johan.

More than 20% means you have fertility and conception problems in your herd. This will reduce the amount of milk you produce, thereby reducing your income. If fertility is poor, the average days in milk will be fewer, which will result in a lower average production over the entire lactation.”

To prevent your milking cow’s average production from dropping, make sure she stays fertile. Monitor all cows for 10 days after they have calved. Look for signs of uterine infection and, should you find any, treat it immediately.

After calving, the dairy manager must record a cow’s first heat. If by 60 days after a cow has calved she is not showing heat, a veterinarian should have a look to see why. If a cow easily comes back into heat, mate her at the first heat 50 days after calving to get her in calf as soon as possible.

“A cow with a low body-condition score at calving can experience all sorts of problems: a retained placenta, excessive anoestrus or poor fertility, and low butterfat in her milk,” Johan continues. “She can also produce 1 000 litres less milk during her next lactation.”

If smallholder farmers want to make enough money to expand their businesses, their cows that are in milk must produce an average of at least 20 litres milk per day throughout their lactation. Of course, the average cow’s monthly production will differ from month to month as seasons and quality of feed change.

IT’S A BUSINESS, SO RUN IT LIKE ONE

“We’re in business, explains Johan. “Producing less milk than you can, for whatever reasons, can cost you as a single smallholder dairy farmer hundreds of thousands of rands a month, and millions a year.”

Records of when a dairy heifer or cow was last mated will indicate when she is due to calve. She should be dried off two months before calving, and her grazing supplemented with maize silage, hay and lick until she calves. Besides planted pastures, Johan believes “quality home-produced feed is king”.

It’s cheaper than buying in, and the farmer can control its production, quality, storage and how it’s used. Having to buy in feed can seriously reduce profits. “The quality of silage is determined by the correct fertilising and weed control during the crop’s growth; by harvesting and inoculating it at the right times; and by ensiling it properly using good compaction, good-quality plastic coverings, and enough tyres to keep the silagetightly covered and compacted,” he explains.

Johan adds that a dairy farmer should ideally produce enough grass, hay and silage to adequately feed the entire herd in the current year and then also have sufficient left over to provide at least 50% of the following year’s total fodder requirements. This additional carryover fodder is a contingency in case of unexpected risks like drought, frost and fires that could severely reduce the farmer’s grass, hay and silage production the following year.

MATCHING NUTRITION TO LIFE STAGE

Johan says a dairy cow of an average 500kg live weight, in early lactation, needs 12kg of dry matter (DM) roughage plus 8kg of concentrate feed a day. Mid-lactation she requires 12kg DM roughage plus 6kg concentrate feed a day, and in late lactation she requires 12kg DM roughage plus 4kg concentrate feed a day.

Dry cows must get 7kg of maize silage plus ad lib hay daily; heifers up to six months must get 18% calf pellets and lucerne hay ad lib daily; heifers of six to 12 months must get 2kg of 16% calf pellets, 2kg maize silage and ad lib hay daily; and heifers of 12 to 24 months must get 5kg maize silage plus 0,5kg protein lick and ad lib hay daily. Johan and Godfrey point out that the dry matter content of maize silage is about 33%.

To feed 1kg DM of maize silage, you must feed 3kg wet material. These are substantial volumes throughout an individual dairy female’s productive life. Detailed record-keeping is required to know and plan for each dairy female’s nutritional needs in a year. Accurate calculations are critical to fodder-flow planning and utilisation.

“If you do not have enough stored fodder or even totally run out of it, your milk production will drop significantly,” cautions Johan. “It is vital that you try to get a loan to buy in more, and to cover the costs of planting enough silage maize for the following year.

The profits you make from maintaining maximum milk production should be more than enough to allow you to repay the loan and to cover the costs of planting maize silage the following summer.

For more information, get in touch with Johan Heunis at johanheunis@igen.co.za or Godfrey Rathogwa at godfrey@milksa.co.za, or visit www.milksa.co.za.

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