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Mbuso We2 officially started operating from the 1st of March 2021. The name Mbuso We2 is an abbreviation of the Zulu words “uMbuso Wethu”, which means “Our Kingdom”. The name of the company signifies a vast amount in terms of where it comes from as well as where it has set its sights for its future. When our Founder, Mbuso Christian Mkhize started Mbuso We2, he wanted to create a business that would have significance to its customers, colleagues, community, family and his culture (the Zulu nation). The kind of significance that would in turn create a Kingdom for all who become part of it.
Kingdoms offer a sense of unity, protection and belonging, which is what the company seeks to be for all of its employees, suppliers, customers and supporters. Our aim is to represent the idea that it is possible to create something that will one-day flourish & bear fruit for all who believe in it.
Whilst in the corporate field, our Founder always looked for purpose, mastery and autonomy in his career. The first 2 were usually there, however, the latter was sometimes lacking, which was motivation for starting Mbuso We2. Part of our vision is to create a company that encompasses these 3 areas so that the talent we attract can reach their full potential, which will hopefully result in a fulfilling and sustainable career for our employees.
ABOUT US
We are 100% black owned and a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor. Our focus is the supply of Food Ingredients to manufacturers in the Food and Beverage market in South Africa. In cases where we have an existing relationship with a customer, we are open to extending into Africa and further afield. Within the Food & Beverage market, we are passionate about working with customers that are in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods space (FMCG). With over 17 years of experience in this area and great insight into the multiple stages of the life cycle of products (i.e farm to fork), Mbuso We2 has the credentials to start adding instant value.
We are specialists in sourcing food ingredients alongside our core products, Vitamin Premixes, Blended Sweeteners and Stabiliser Blends. We use warehousing that has the required Food Grade certification. We pride ourselves in understanding our customer’s business & building a relationship of mutual benefit. Consistently trying to find cost savings, having quick turnaround times and offering market insight in the products we supply is what we do best.
CORE TEAM
We would like to introduce you to our dynamic leadership team...
More about our team... Mbuso Christian Mkhize is the sole Founder & Director at Mbuso We2 (Pty) Ltd. He has a BSocSci degree in Media & Communications and an Honours Degree in Media & Communication, which was awarded Cum Laude. Both degrees were completed at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Mbuso has over 17 years of work experience and began his journey as an Account Executive at TBWA Hunt Lascaris Durban. From there, he worked for Unilever where he had a 9-year career and held various roles in Procurement and Customer Development. During his tenure with Unilever, he had the privilege of working in South Africa as well as South East Asia and Australasia where he was based in Singapore and Jakarta (Indonesia). Mbuso also worked at Beiersdorf Southern Africa where he was responsible for the SADC region and the Drug Channel. Prior to starting Mbuso We2, he spent time working for Carsten Chemicals & Consultants, a Food Ingredient Commodity Trading business. To find out more about Mbuso, please view his LinkedIn profile or email him at mcmkhize@mbusowe2.co.za. Bin Yin has incredible academic qualifications & business credentials. He brings an enormous amount of value and is a true global citizen who has travelled the world extensively and has excellent command of the English Language. He has a Masters degree in Chemistry from the China Agricultural University. He also has an MBA from IESE. Bin has held senior roles in Procurement and Supply Chain at many multinational companies such as Fonterra, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZenica, Apple & the British Council. Bin is a Strategic Partner & Procurement Advisor to Mbuso We2 (Pty) Ltd. He has been involved in the business since its inception & could be considered a Co-Founder in many respects given his consistent support and effort. Bin is based in Beijing, China and is a very hard working, efficient and reliable. He gives Mbuso We2 a unique advantage in the market as he provides high level & quality insight into the Asian Market (especially China). He also ensures that Mbuso We2 has recourse with all suppliers this very important region. You can reach Bin at yinbinrun@mbusowe2.co.za. Kirstie Mkhize is responsible for all administrative functions relating to Mbuso We2. She has a BSc (Hons) Degree in Speech & Language Sciences from the University of Newcastle and has work experience in the UK, South East Asia and South Africa. Kirstie brings discipline and order to our business, which is a very important quality in a growing business. You can reach Kirstie at info@mbusowe2.co.za.
CORE PRODUCTS
Mbuso We2 has 3 core products, which are Vitamin Premixes, Blended Sweeteners and Stabiliser Blends. Whilst we have expertise in a large range of commodities, we’ve decided to build our business around these 3 core products.
Vitamin Premixes:
In order to understand vitamin premixes, we have to familiarise ourselves with the word fortification in food. “Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of one or more micronutrients (i.e., vitamins and minerals) in a food or condiment to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health” [source: world health organisation/food fortification]. Our business is invested in being at the forefront of supplying Vitamin Premixes to the South African market. We usually work with companies and brand owners that need a development partner to help their product deliver nutritional benefits to their consumers. We also assist customers that are looking for cost savings with their existing vitamin premix specifications and always deliver as we have the required expertise complimented by a lean business structure. We closely assess the nutritional claim/s your brand is making on pack and then ensure that we provide you with a premix that achieves that. We also ensure that we send our vitamin premixes for markers analysis in order to bring integrity to our work. We currently deal with various customers in the food and beverage market and assist with a vast range of products from energy drinks to yoghurts, breakfast cereals, margarines and many more. If you have a brand that you would like to deliver nutritional benefits, we would love to assist you provide that in the most cost effective way.
Blended Sweeteners:
In order to explain what blended sweeteners are we first have to acknowledge the existence of what is known as single component sweeteners. There is a wide range of single component sweeteners in the artificial & natural sweetener space. Among artificial sweeteners, single component sweeteners are products such as Sucralose, Aspartame and Acesulfame K, etc. Among natural sweeteners, single component sweeteners are products such as Stevia, Erythritol and Xylitol, etc. Blended Sweeteners are the products we get when 2, 3 or more single component sweeteners are mixed together. One might ask the question, what is the purpose of blending the sweeteners? In most cases, there are 2 main reasons behind using blended sweeteners instead of single component sweeteners. 1. Achieving what is known as the synergy effect. 2. Balancing the sweeteners and optimise taste. “Sweetener synergy is the phenomenon in which certain combinations of sweeteners work more effectively than the theoretical sum of the effects of each component. It provides benefits in reducing sweetener dosages and improving their sweetness.” [Source: MDPI] When looking at the balancing sweeteners and optimising taste, the aim is to get the maximum sweetness from each component as well as masking the undesirable notes of any specific component. Our technical team view this as an art more than a science. Our UNISWEET range has been refined over many years to ensure optimal blends for specific application. Our business can supply a wide variety of sweetener blends depending on the objective the customer is trying to achieve. We can have technical discussions to develop the most optimal blend for your product or you can start using one of our popular Blended Sweeteners, which are as follows. . UNISWEET 132 – This blend is very effective in a wide range of applications where the main objective is cost reduction for the manufacturers . UNISWEET 152 – This blend is very effective in products made by Ice Cream and Yoghurt manufacturers . UNISWEET 450 – This blend is very effective in products made by Energy drink, soft drink and juice manufacturers. We would love to offer you our blended sweeteners as well as share our knowledge with you. Please contact us for a discussion.
Stabilizer Blends:
In order to understand Stabiliser Blends we 1st have to understand the function of stabilisers in food. Stabilisers have various functions depending on the application and desired result. We have a wide range of stabiliser blends under the banner, Univisco. Univisco has specific properties geared towards specific applications. For example, it can assist to thicken liquid and powder drinks. It can also assist to keep particles in suspension and provide the desired mouth-feel for various applications. In products such as ice lollies and frozen desserts, Univisco prevents ice crystal formation. It can also aid in masking the dry mouth sensation we get from drinks containing actives. When reducing or removing sugar from a formulation, you lose both sweetness and mouth-feel. Univisco helps with this. When it comes to shelf life, Univisco assists with coating the protein in drinks which could result in increased shelf-life. When we ask ourselves the question, why use a stabiliser blend? The answer is that various stabilisers have different effects and in a specific combination we maximise the synergy effect. We also highlight the desired properties of each stabiliser and mask the less desirable attributes. For example, Guar gum on its own can create a slimy mouth-feel which is not desirable. Univisco is used by customers that make health shakes, ice lollies, fruit juices, carbonated drinks, powdered beverages and dairy drinks amongst many other products. If you like to explore the benefits of using our Univisco vs single component stabilisers, we’d love to assist. Please contact us for a discussion.
OTHER SERVICES
Coffee Shops
Mbuso We2 (Pty) Ltd is the 100% owner of an entity called Collab Café. Collab Café comprises of 3 coffee shops, which are based at the 3 Connect Space locations, namely Umhlanga, Mt. Edgecombe and Musgrave. To find out more about Connect Space and their world class office spaces, please visit www.connectspace.co.za.
Collab Café was Founded by Mbuso Christian Mkhize and Geoff Noble in April 2021. Whilst Geoff is no longer an owner, he remains a very important part of our business.
Our coffee shops exclusively use Colombo Coffee beans to make our coffee. The coffee beans are also available for sale to our customers should they want to take them home. As “Durban’s coffee company”, Colombo trains our amazing Baristas which ensures that the quality of coffee we provide is of the highest standard. We hugely appreciate our relationship with Colombo Coffee. For more information visit their website to see what they offer Colombo Coffee and Tea – Durban's Coffee Company.
UMHLANGA
Located at Connect Space Umhlanga Rocks – 21 Lighthouse Road – 301 Beacon Rock, Collab Café (Beacon Rock) is our Flagship store. We opened on the 1st of June 2021 and this store remains our best performing store and is well positioned to continue growing from strength to strength.
MUSGRAVE
Located at Connect Space Musgrave – 102 Stephen Dlamini Road – Level 2 Med-Scheme building, Collab Café (Musgrave) is our 2nd store which opened on the 10th of January 2022. The store is showing steady growth which we are very proud of.
MT EDGECOMBE
Located at Connect Space Mt. Edgecombe – 23A Flanders Drive, Mount Edgecombe – Bosch Engineering Building, Collab Café (Mt. Edgecombe) is our 3rd store & final store for the moment. We opened on the 1st of April 2022 and managed to hit the ground running and have never looked back. The store is very easy to access and has plenty of room to sit and enjoy your coffee.
Mobile Coffee Events
As a business that is invested in the art of delivering the perfect coffee experience for our customers, we can also provide this experience outside our 3 shops. We are passionate about delivering world class corporate events where we bring our coffee bar to you. Whether you are having a brand launch, celebrating a company / brand anniversary or simply want to spoil your employees by having a Barista on site to serve delicious coffee, we are here for you. Please book us or contact us for a quote by emailing info@mbusowe2.co.za.
CONTACT US
Tel: +27661137008
Email: info@mbusowe2.co.za
Connect Space
21 Lighthouse Road,
301 Beacon Rock,
Umhlanga Rocks,
4319
Office Hours:
Mon - Fri: 8am - 4:30pm