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The thought of eating snacks made from worms may not be everyone's cup of tea, but don't knock it till you've tried it.
Mopane worms – a species of emperor moth – are large edible caterpillars and are a South African delicacy, says Wendy Vesela-Ntimbani.
Wendy (40), a businesswoman and chemical engineer, has been enjoying mopane worms for years. She was introduced to them as a child growing up in Limpopo and she still savours them now in Joburg where she lives with her two children.
These caterpillars are organic, rich in protein and are a healthy and sustainable food source, she explains.
So how do you encourage people to embrace this indigenous food option?
"Everyone needs protein on a daily basis – it's said to be about 30g a meal and 0.8g per kilogram of one’s body weight.”
That thought led to Matomani, her business which sells products made from Mopane worms. The caterpillars are used as a ingredient in protein bars and crackers and are also sold as protein powder which can be used in baked goods.
“It’s a no-brainer to say, if this is protein, what can you do with the protein? What is it that the consumer is looking for? How are they consuming it [protein] on a daily basis?”
According to reports, there are already about two billion people worldwide who regularly consume insects such as bees and grasshoppers.
“Right now organisations like the United Nations and the World Bank are pushing for people to start eating edible insects, because in a few years there will be food shortages,” Wendy tells us.
“There are a lot of consumers who love mopane worms, and I’ve made it easier for people to access them. Why don’t we have it online, or being delivered and why can't we walk into a grocery store and buy them there? This is our delicacy."
Her passion for advocating for Mopane worms led her to quitting her job in November 2021. Knowing that she was going to struggle to find backers, she withdrew money from her provident fund to kickstart her business.
“I’m going to be selling something unique, something that's going to get a lot of people frowning, questioning and showing interest – it was definitely going to evoke a lot of reactions. To write a business plan and go around asking for funding to sell masonja. . . people were going to laugh at me.”
It was a risk, but she's never looked back.
Within a year Wendy had sold six times more than her projected sales.
“It’s been amazing,” she says. “That just brings joy. I’m not crazy after all, people have been looking for this product.”
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It’s more than just a business for Wendy, and while her offering is relatively unique, the challenges she faced were not.
Like having to harvest only twice a year because the caterpillars are seasonal, not having additional funding and not being able to deliver internationally – yet – due to high shipping charges.
But even with all the speed bumps, she never thought of giving up.
With her products – which are available on the Matomani website, Takealot and at the Kruger National Park and South African airports – she aims to give back to the community.
She's working toward her dream of aquiring land where she can farm the nutritious worms – instead of only harvesting them – and she hires local people to harvest them in Phalaborwa in Limpopo.
“A lot of people harvest masonja in the community so we create a trading platform where we also buy from other harvesters,” she says.
"If I can make an impact in a number of people's lives through what I do then I'd consider my time in this world well spent."
Matomani products are not yet available in retail stores but Wendy says she hopes to change that before the end of this year.
EXTRA SOURCES: WORLDBANK.ORG, THEGUARDIAN.COM
