If it had not been for an act of fate, Jacinta Adonis would still be confined to a desk cluttered with legal papers and still be buried under an avalanche of a nine-to-five stressful routine. That was her life as a legal secretary, up until she was involuntarily displaced from regular employment on account of her growing family commitments.

The sequence of events in her life could have shattered anyone with less resolve.

After working for 10 years as a legal secretary, Adonis left to join an accounting firm.

Barely three years there, she was staring retrenchment in the face.

In light of this adversity, she did not despair, but searched for a way out, tactfully turning an otherwise bad situation into an opportunity – a time for self-reflection about the future.

Gazing into her crystal ball, all Adonis could see was a shiny silver lining silhouetted against the backdrop of a dissipating dark cloud. Of course, such vision was only possible through the lenses of such an eternal optimist as she is.

Adonis is a fitting description of a necessity entrepreneur. Had her circumstances been different at the time, she would probably be lost to entrepreneurship today.

Yet, again at the age of 25, when she had her first child, she had entertained the idea of starting her own business, primarily so she could take care of her first baby.

So, in essence she has always had the itch to take the plunge. But losing a job after 10 years’ service as a legal secretary, then three years with a firm of chartered accountants, was the catalyst that nudged her into thinking unconventionally.

Today, this self-assured mother of three is the sole member of a close corporation, Cape Thyme Catering, which employs a total of 41 people.

So much has changed since the early days when she traded from within the confines of her home, supplying packaged meals in the neighbourhood – initially working with one employee, before growing her customer base and increasing her staff complement to three within a month.

“The business is still in its growth phase and constantly improving,” says Adonis with a flash of nostalgia.

Growth has come at a cost, however. The business, which recently won a contract to supply packaged meals to a handful of foreign airlines, has had to secure another warehouse at Airport Industria, Cape Town. The move, however, has not been smooth sailing.

At the time of going to press, Cape Thyme Catering could not occupy its new premises immediately, owing to structural incapacity, as the new building lacked the requisite three-phase installation system required for commercial kitchen equipment.

Cape Thyme Catering’s unique offering has, since inception, been the provision of healthy food for diabetes, cholesterol and weight control.

The company’s service differentiation is defined by its capacity to deliver packaged meals anywhere in Cape Town, including Stellenbosch, five days a week. The meals are freshly prepared Monday to Friday, in addition to customers being able to collect orders from its premises.

What qualities are essential to run a successful catering business?

“Having the right people from day one, to have systems in place and making sure the job gets done,” Adonis says. “I was still learning the ropes when I launched this business, so in addition to those factors, you need vibrant people who share your vision.”

This is a business where there is no such thing as a saturation point. It is precisely because caterers do not compete in the same market segment, but each identifies a niche to service, she says.

Predictably, Cape Thyme Catering’s customer base grows during the festive season, though this does not necessarily warrant additional production capacity.

Ironically, the business does not advertise its offerings to corporations hosting staff year-end parties.

Partly, this is because event management is not in its portfolio, but the company rather chooses to focus on provision of packaged meals to various functions.

Event management is an area into which the business could expand, in addition to establishing a national footprint, particularly with a presence in Gauteng.

Cape Thyme Catering’s principal clients are hotels in Cape Town, with the Westin Grand being the main one.

Adonis pays glowing tribute to Westin Grand, in particular for its heavy investment in enterprise development, management, human resources as well as revamping her business altogether.

Operating staff canteens at these hotels and similar establishments is the core of Cape Thyme Catering’s business model.

The business competes with retailers in the provision of packaged meals. This places Cape

Thyme Catering at a disadvantage, as it does not operate a retail outlet to make it visible to the public.

The company’s competitive advantage is its ability to supply freshly packaged quality meals, capacity to meet any quantities ordered and, of course, its mobility.

“We guarantee more value for money,” adds Adonis.

The company is a keen adherent to word-of-mouth marketing, which makes much sense, given its limited size and resources.

Despite her achievements, Adonis still maintains a streak of social conscience. She believes the most rewarding thing for doing what she does is not so much the money factor. That is important, but not the only consideration.

“It’s great to employ people, especially those destitute, to train them and give them skills to enable them earn an honest living,“ she states with conviction.

The company employs mostly women, many of whom have run away from abusive homes.

They are given a second chance to turn their lives around in a productive environment.

Has she enjoyed the entrepreneurial journey this far?

“Indeed, I would never change anything for anything,” says Adonis matter-of-factly. “I have a wonderful team of people who share the same vision as I do.

“For me, it is about service, people, passion and not just the money; that will come with time,” she says philosophically.

Though Adonis speaks with the authority of an accomplished social entrepreneur, Cape Thyme Catering is not and has never been a social project, but a fully fledged business entity driven by a profit motive.

Prospective entrepreneurs could take a leaf from Adonis’ book. When she started off, she had no funding at all. This is because banks considered her high risk, for she could not offer collateral.

She turned an unfortunate incident in her life (retrenchment) into something positive by looking at the possibilities it presented. She paid attention to options that could bail her out of a sticky situation. And that is when she thought about putting her culinary skills to the test.

The other pointer is that Adonis started very small, what you would term a micro or survivalist type of enterprise.

She grew from having one staff member to three within a month. Today, she boasts five-star hotels and international airlines
as clients.

The most important tip of all is that you could turn a hobby into a money-spinning idea. Jacinta Adonis was neither a chef nor nutritionist when she opened Cape Thyme Catering. Up to that point, she had been a keen cook at home.

David Mwanambuyu