EP12 - From Media Empire to Restaurant Empire, with Monwabisi Thethe

EP12 - From Media Empire to Restaurant Empire, with Monwabisi Thethe

When people think of the food industry, they often picture chefs in kitchens crafting incredible dishes. But behind every successful restaurant is something much bigger: strategy, branding, storytelling and understanding people. In Episode 12 of SA Food Stories, entrepreneur and hospitality strategist Monwabisi Thethe explores why today's food entrepreneurs need to become marketers, relationship builders and business thinkers if they want to succeed. Prawnery [https://prawnery.co.za] · Kanpai [https://kanpaisa.co.za] · SA Food Stories [https://www.safoodstories.com] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP11 - Food, Family and the Business of Belonging - In conversation with Alessandro Khojane

What does it really take to build a successful restaurant business? For Alessandro Khojane, founder of Gemelli and Pantry, the answer is not just great food, it’s people, relationships, resilience and knowing when to ask for help. Born in South Africa, raised in Rome, and fluent in Italian, Alessandro’s journey into hospitality was not planned. He began as a waiter in Durban, where he discovered the power of connecting with people and the financial opportunities within the industry. What started as a job became a lifelong passion and eventually the foundation for building some of Johannesburg’s most loved dining experiences. In this episode of SA Food Stories, Alessandro shares the untold story behind his rise from waiter to restaurateur, the mistakes that nearly destroyed his business, and the lessons that transformed him into a stronger entrepreneur. SA Food Stories [http://www.safoodstories.com] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP 10 - The African Salt Story That Became a Global Phenomenon - with Samantha Skyring

What kind of person sells their house to buy 34 tons of salt? In this episode of South African Food Stories, Nicci Robertson chats with with Samantha Skyring, founder of Oryx Desert Salt, to unpack one of the most unusual food entrepreneurship stories in Africa. What started as a life-changing moment in the Namib Desert became a global gourmet brand distributed in more than 20 countries. Samantha shares the science, mythology and controversy surrounding salt, why processed table salt changed the way we think about nutrition, and how a hidden aquifer beneath the Kalahari became the foundation of a premium African ingredient brand. From single motherhood and financial risk to resilience, sustainability and intuition, this is a story about far more than seasoning. It’s about belief, survival and building something extraordinary from one of the simplest ingredients on earth. Oryx Web Page [https://oryxdesertsalt.com] · Oryx IG [https://www.instagram.com/oryxdesertsalt/] · Oryx LinkedIn [https://za.linkedin.com/company/oryxdesertsalt] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP9 - What It Takes to Produce World Class Olive Oil - with Brenda Wilkinson

In this episode of South African Food Stories, Nicci Robertson chats to Brenda Wilkinson, co-founder of Rio Largo Olive Estate, to unpack the unexpected journey that lead to building one of South Africa’s most recognised olive oil brands. With no background in farming, food production, or retail, the Wilkinson family learned everything from scratch, from growing olives to navigating international competitions and convincing a skeptical market to take a local premium product seriously. Brenda lifts the lid on the global olive oil industry, exposing misleading labelling, and why many consumers are unknowingly buying inferior products. She explains why fresh, properly produced extra virgin olive oil behaves more like a fresh juice than a long life pantry staple, and why authenticity matters not just for flavour, but for your health. RioLargo Olive Oil [https://riolargo.co.za] · RioLargo IG [https://www.instagram.com/riolargooliveestate/] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]

EP8 - Purpose Beats Product, The Ocean Basket Playbook with Grace Harding

What if everything you think makes a restaurant successful… is completely wrong? In this episode, Nicci Robertson sits down with Grace Harding, the woman behind Ocean Basket’s explosive global growth, and she drops a truth most people in food don’t want to hear: - It’s NOT about the food. - It’s NOT about the price. - And passion alone? Completely overrated. From a single restaurant in Pretoria to an international powerhouse, Grace reveals what really built the brand and why most restaurant dreams collapse behind the scenes. Ocean Basket [https://www.oceanbasket.com] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/oceanbasketglobal/] · YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@SAFoodStories] · FaceBook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587676288501] · Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodstories_sa/] · X [https://x.com/safoodstories] · LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-food-stories/about/?viewAsMember=true]