{"id":21890,"date":"2026-01-28T08:32:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T06:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=21890"},"modified":"2026-01-22T10:39:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T08:39:46","slug":"the-lunch-lady-roxanne-proctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2026\/01\/28\/the-lunch-lady-roxanne-proctor\/","title":{"rendered":"The lunch lady Roxanne Proctor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get ready to thank Roxanne Proctor … she\u2019s removed one more thing from your to-do list.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For those of us who lament the sandwiches with curling crusts returned, uneaten, seven hours after they were packed, it\u2019s hard to imagine that there is someone who enjoys packing a lunchbox.
\nBut there is. That person is Roxanne Proctor, and her creative (some might say life-saving) brainchild, the Little Lunch Co, is removing some of the hassle from school mornings.
\nThat\u2019s because Roxanne has taken away all the pain of trying to find snacks that have enough protein, aren\u2019t full of empty calories, don\u2019t have too much sugar, aren\u2019t too processed, won\u2019t be too messy. Oh, and which your kids like, too.
\nRoxanne admits that her business is pretty niche. In fact, there\u2019s nothing quite like it in South Africa. She\u2019s also candid about the fact that she didn\u2019t exactly grow up dreaming of packing lunchboxes for other children. Rather, the Little Lunch Co was, like many good ideas, born out of a moment where inspiration and circumstance aligned.
\nThose circumstances weren\u2019t exactly happy ones. First came a series of health issues. Roxanne\u2019s appendix burst, then she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The experience was a huge eye-opener, leaving her with a mission to find meaning. This quest continued after Roxanne left her corporate job, where she had excelled for a decade.
\nIt was a difficult time, says Roxanne. \u201cI found myself increasingly unsatisfied. I just felt that there must be more to life. But I\u2019ve always said that in order to grow, the earth must shake. I didn\u2019t establish the Little Lunch Co because life was perfect, but because it wasn\u2019t.\u201d
\nIn her pursuit of purpose – \u201cthere are only so many gym classes you can attend in a day\u201d – she started tinkering in the kitchen. Roxanne had been paying increased attention to nutrition and its role in wellness since her cancer diagnosis and applied her new learnings to her children\u2019s lunchboxes. \u201cI was very particular about what I packed them. I realised that most tuckshops offer food I\u2019d only give my children on a lazy night, and I didn\u2019t want to rely on that to fuel them throughout the day.\u201d
\nRoxanne started posting pictures of her lunchboxes to her socials, and was thrilled when she received positive feedback from her followers. \u201cIt takes just one cheer to build your confidence,\u201d she points out. She was even more encouraged when some of her followers told her they\u2019d pay her to make up similar packs for their children.
\nAnd so, when life pushed her into a moment of deep reflection, she realised that turning her lunchboxes into a business was her path forward. \u201cI didn\u2019t know exactly how I\u2019d do it, but I knew I would,\u201d she says. \u201cI needed to feel that I was adding value to the world, and this was it.\u201d
\nAlthough Roxanne\u2019s husband assured her that he knew she\u2019d be able to pull it off, and she herself knew that the challenges she\u2019d faced had been placed in her way for a reason, she admits that there were several occasions when she was tempted to throw in the towel. It took ages to make a profit, she says, until she got a big break … making party packs for influencer Mc Clauds. After that, orders started climbing. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have done it without my support structure,\u201d she acknowledges.
\nThe Little Lunch Co recorded a record month during November. By that stage, Roxanne had returned to her corporate career, but not before handing over the reins to an equally passionate cook and employing both a driver and a pastry chef to take the company forward. She also introduced the Mom Box, which she is especially enthusiastic about. \u201cIt\u2019s so hard for women to get all the protein and fibre they need, but this box does it all for you. You just need dinner.\u201d Next up is a move to a kitchen in Parkmore, which is more centrally located and allows access to more schools.
\nIn the meantime, Roxanne continues to work out menus, sneaking veggies into muffins and making chicken nuggets seem like a very sorry second.
\nAnd she\u2019s enjoying every second. \u201cEveryone has a tough story, but I think I\u2019m proof that you can either be a victim of your tough times \u2013 or do something about them. Your story doesn\u2019t define you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Setting up your hustle
\nHere are Roxanne\u2019s go-to tips for helping your small business grow into a bigger business:
\n\u2022 Find a helper who is as crazy as you are, and as passionate as you are \u2013 but make sure you can work with them.
\n\u2022 Make sure the people in your life balance you. I\u2019m high energy, so I partner well with people who bring me calm.
\n\u2022 Trust your gut \u2013 if something feels right (or wrong), it probably is.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Little Lunch Co delivers packed lunchboxes to your home or your child\u2019s school reception, within a 15km radius of its Sunninghill headquarters or Parkmore kitchen. To find out more about the company\u2019s subscription model,
\nvisit @little_lunch_co or info@littlelunchco.co.za<\/p>\n

Text: LISA WITEPSKI. Main image: Megan Brett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Get ready to thank Roxanne Proctor … she\u2019s removed one more thing from your to-do list. For those of us who lament the sandwiches with curling crusts returned, uneaten, seven hours after they were packed, it\u2019s hard to imagine that there is someone who enjoys packing a lunchbox. But there is. That person is Roxanne […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":21892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,21,40,20],"tags":[3531,8811],"class_list":{"0":"post-21890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food","8":"category-kids","9":"category-people","10":"category-personalities","11":"tag-lunch","12":"tag-mealprep"},"yoast_head":"\nThe lunch lady Roxanne Proctor - Get it Joburg North<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2026\/01\/28\/the-lunch-lady-roxanne-proctor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The lunch lady Roxanne Proctor - Get it Joburg North\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Get ready to thank Roxanne Proctor … she\u2019s removed one more thing from your to-do list. 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