Page 11 - Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards 2018

BUSINESSFIT

ENTREPRENEUR

AWARD

he winner is ... quantity surveyor, and
entrepreneur.
TWalter Coughlan,

the founder and director of In 1999, at the age of 23, Diko,
the Fair Food Company (Pty) Ltd. together with his partner, started
their own quantity surveying
“On behalf of all the farmers, practice, DPV Quantity Surveyors
and staff and groups that we & Project Managers. DPV now
work with, I am very proud to be has a footprint nationally and
honoured,” he commented after is growing from strength to
receiving the award. strength. He has been based in
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal for over
Coughlan has spent the past 15 years now.
16 years as managing director Lalita Dhasiar; David White, Chairman, BusinessFit; Walter Coughlan, Founder and Director, The Fair Food
establishing and managing Diko is an accredited mentor by Company; Akhona Mahlati, CEO BusinessFit
Newlands Mashu, a not for profit the University of the Free State
company in KwaZulu-Natal, for coaching and mentoring
now trading as the Fair Food emerging developing contractors,
Foundation, a business committed a role he has been playing since
to supporting the development 2005. He has other business
and growth of emerging farmers interests in property development.
in South Africa. Mlungisi Zwane

Coughlan has established Mlungisi Zwane is the director
numerous partnerships and of Siyazenzela Trailers, which
designed, facilitated and was established in April 2010.
managed local and international The company’s core business is
funded programmes. As director the manufacturing of custom
of The Fair Food Foundation, he built trailers, mobile units such
currently engages with public, as cold-rooms and freezers,
national government and private mobile kitchens, mobile toilets
sector partners to benefit the and mobile offices.
emerging farmer sector and
manages a dynamic staff of Zwane has created linkages
farmer support technicians and abroad with African countries like
agri-processing team members. Botswana, Swaziland and Malawi,
where Siyazenzela Trailers has
The Fair Food Company footprints with its products.
(Pty) Ltd is a level 2 B-BBEE
majority black farmer owned Siyazenzela Trailers is currently
social enterprise food business. increasing its production
Emerging shareholder farmers capacity through the state of
are supported through reverse the art factory that is in the
integrated off-takes and agro- process of being built which
processing opportunities. will enable the company to
meet international demand.
Based in KwaZulu-Natal, The
Fair Food Company grows, BusinessFit
processes and supplies quality BusinessFit is a formally
vegetables from its groups constituted black female owned
GlobalGAP anchor farms and enterprise comprising a team of
HACCP facilities to varied experienced business owners.
markets. In 2014, the Edamame The BusinessFit award is given to
Development Programme was an entrepreneur who contributes
established. Currently a number to the KwaZulu-Natal economy
of national retail chains are through providing sustainable
supplied with South African and quality products or services
grown and processed edamame.
to its customers as well as
“We are committed to supplying creating employment.
good healthy foods directly to This award is in line with
South Africa and the world, in the BusinessFit’s aims, which are to
fairest way possible – growing for grow entrepreneurs and their
good!” Coughlan concluded.
businesses, and to encourage
Finalists a culture of continuous
improvement in delivery of core
Sakhumzi Diko
competencies, client relationships
Sakhumzi Diko is a seasoned and therefore, the provision of
leader, mentor, a professional job opportunities. 

THE STANDARD BANK KZN TOP BUSINESS AWARDS 11