![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/highway-berea\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2024\/04\/Where-it-all-started-the-cement-mixer-AKA-Old-Faithful-400x267.jpg\")
\u2018Old Faithful\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nPerhaps one of the best-known facts about the early days of Joekels is the cement mixer that Joe and Jonathan used to blend tea. Without big capital, they couldn\u2019t buy fancy machinery, so they had to make a plan. \u2018Old Faithful\u2019, as she is fondly known, has now been spray painted gold and is resting and on display in the Joekels reception. She was used to blend Phendula Tips initially – Joekels\u2019 founding brand which is now a favourite in many KZN homes. The Zulu word \u2018Phendula\u2019 means \u2018To turn around or change\u2019 – certainly apt for what the country was going through at the time.<\/p>\n
So how do two 20-somethings break into a business dominated by FMCG giants with brands that have been around for near-centuries? With great difficulty!<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t just walk into stores and get our products on the shelf,\u201d Joe recalls. \u201cIt took a lot of begging and persistence. Failure wasn\u2019t an option. A few guys at some of the big retailers gave us a chance in those early days, and we are incredibly grateful for that. Without them, Joekels wouldn\u2019t be here today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recalling when Phendula was stocked in-store for the first time, Jonathan said: \u201cWe called all our friends and family and asked them to buy a few packs. We needed sales to keep the orders coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n
When retailers wouldn\u2019t list another Rooibos product, Joe and Jonathan found an entry point through the first-ever kids\u2019 Rooibos brand, Tea4Kidz. This is now the leading kids’ tea brand in South Africa, and it was this innovative approach that won both of them an IMM Marketing Award.<\/p>\n
Fast forward 30 years and a lot has \u2018turned around and changed\u2019 at Joekels. While they\u2019re still KZN-based (in an unassuming corner of Pinetown\u2019s industrial stretch), they\u2019re now a leading tea manufacturer in South Africa, packing the likes of Laager Rooibos (which Joekels acquired in 2006), Tetley (part of Joekels\u2019 partnership with Tata Consumer Products), as well as the bulk of South Africa\u2019s Private Label tea brands. And they\u2019re still packing Phendula, a testament to the quality of their founding brand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a real underdog story,\u201d notes Marketing Manager, Candice Sessions, \u201cand the business is still run like a start-up today because no one can afford to be complacent in these tough times. We still operate the business like a bunch of entrepreneurs thirsty for a win, and grateful for every bit of support we can get.\u201d<\/p>\n Chief Operating Officer Natalie White adds, \u201cWe have all learnt a lot and been inspired by the grit that it took to build Joekels into the business it is today, and we know that without our customers and consumers, we would be nowhere. That\u2019s why our service levels are some of the highest in the industry, and we only sell products that we would all happily drink and enjoy daily.\u2019<\/p>\n Co-founder Jonathan is still responsible for signing off these products, but now he\u2019s not a wet-behind-the-ears, 20-something tea taster. He\u2019s one of the most experienced tea tasters and blenders in South Africa and beyond, with a tongue and taste buds famously insured for R5 million. Joe also continues to lead the business with foresight and pragmatic optimism, and is a board member for the Rooibos Council of South Africa.<\/p>\n Joekels today<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, Joekels employs over 200 people and is committed to giving back to the community and the country that made it the success story it is. Through its many initiatives, Joekels places a significant focus on the next generation, supporting children\u2019s organisations and programmes, and running free educational workshops and programmes in schools around the country.<\/p>\n Asked what they would share with other budding entrepreneurs, Joe says it\u2019s simple:<\/p>\n \u201cIf you believe that failure isn\u2019t an option, you won\u2019t fail. You\u2019ll keep pushing no matter how hard it is. \u201cAnd,\u201d Jonathan adds, \u201cWhen every door closes in your face, you\u2019ll find a window.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Thirty years ago, South Africa was at a crossroads, preparing for the country\u2019s first democratic elections. At the same time, Joe Swart and Jonathan Kelsey were formulating a business plan in Joe\u2019s mom\u2019s garage. The idea was simple – make quality tea available and affordable for all South Africans. While many South Africans stockpiled goods […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2060,34,51],"tags":[10719,3040,4898,10720,10721],"class_list":{"0":"post-38355","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food-wine","8":"category-health-and-beauty","9":"category-lifestyle","10":"tag-joe-swart","11":"tag-joekels","12":"tag-joekels-tea-packers","13":"tag-jonathan-kelsey","14":"tag-phendula"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/highway-berea\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2024\/04\/Jonathan-and-Joe-accepting-their-Marketing-Awards-from-IMM-2000-400x300.jpg\")
30 years later<\/strong><\/p>\n