from FUTHI MBHELE in Durban
KwaZulu Natal Bureau
DURBAN, (CAJ News) – WHEN the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, a young woman from Umlazi saw an opportunity to open an ice cream business.
Two years later, the ice cream is the talk of the KwaZulu-Natal and its reputation gone beyond this province.
Even celebrities and international visitors have endorsed it.
Umlazi Famous Ice Cream is the brainchild of Thabisile Radebe.
In an interview with www.durbantoday.co.za, she recalled how the aptly-named company was formed.
“The community was in distress due to the pandemic,” Radebe said.
“We saw an opportunity that could alleviate the stress while contributing to the economy of Umlazi,” Radebe said.
She described the establishment as a one-stop ice cream shop that prides itself with uniqueness and quality ingredients.
“A non-seasonal, all year round ice cream shop where you find flavours of your choice in any season,” the founder said.
“We attract the young and old with enticing colourful flavours and a joyful environment to sit in and enjoy your ice cream.”
Radebe said the uniqueness is that hers is indigenous while the top ice cream retailers in the region are white-owned franchises.
She said the support she gets from people from outside the province is amazing.
Among her other targeted clients are companies doing year-end functions.
There is some scientific evidence to Radebe’s establishing the ice cream company during the distressing impact of COVID-19.
Research indicates that ice cream helps calm the nervous system. It is said to provide a stimulus to the thrombotonin, a hormone that is responsible for triggering the happiness and excitement in humans.
This is also the hormone that helps decrease the feeling of stress and restlessness.
– CAJ News