By Matṧeliso Phulane
Healthy lifestyle enthusiast, Lerata Fekefeke, has developed an energy snack called NutriCrunch.
The product also has various health benefits.
Each NutriCrunch bar is packed with essential nutrients such as protein from almond flour, nut butter and cashews, and is good for muscle repair and growth.
It is rich in fibre from oats and nuts for improved digestion, and reduce constipation. The snack also contains healthy fats, vitamins and mineral as well as antioxidants from various nuts to support immune system cell protection.
Fekefeke’s business started operating fully in February 2024 and it currently employs two people. He is the sole owner and employer.
In an interview with theReporter this week, Fekefeke said he started this business after learning that energy bars sold in stores are addictive and contain preservatives, something that reduces their effectiveness in getting all the necessary nutrients.
As a result, he decided to set his business apart by adding different flavours that are free from preservatives.
“Apart from that, what is different with my products is that they are cheaper. I also use 80 percent locally produced ingredients such as honey, raisins as well as different types of nuts,” he noted.
Fekefeke indicated that he has always been a health enthusiast from a young age hence his decision to venture into this type of business.
He says in high school, when other kids would buy snacks, especially flavoured maize pops, he would instead buy fruits and, instead of sweet treats such as chocolates, he would buy fruit juices.
Additionally, he would read a lot about health and its benefits. Throughout his journey of living a healthy lifestyle, he once also decided to be a vegan for a while.
Fekefeke’s love and interest in health made him decide to bring health to easily accessible snacks, instead of sweets which contain high amounts of sugar.
He is currently a postgraduate philosophy student at the National University of Lesotho (NUL).
He said the course contributed to his critical thinking on how to start his business. Besides that, he has been into cooking since he was young, and he used to watch culinary shows and cooking competitions.
“My target market is those people who are interested in healthy living, including those looking to slightly lose weight, students, people who are into fitness and everyone with a busy lifestyle who wants to have a delicious snack on the go.
“Some of the advantages of my energy bars is that they are able to withstand hot conditions in summer time and have a long shelve life without the use of preservatives.
“However, I had also struggled with marketing strategies, to let people know about my products. But I managed to use Facebook to advertise them,” he said.
Fekefeke said he has learned that the ‘hardest step is always the first step’ in that he had to fund his business on his own. To him it was the hardest step although it was interesting at the same time.
“In the next few years, I would like to see this business expanding and branching out to other districts in the country. I also wish to add more flavours to accommodate different people’s tastes buds.
“Furthermore, I am looking forward to partnering with gyms in Lesotho and sourcing more ingredients from local farmers.
“I would like to start working towards securing funding to assist in further developing my product in many ways – the way it tastes, the way it looks, and many other factors that will have it competing in international markets,” Fekefeke added.
NutriCrunch energy snacks can be a good snack to have in the morning hours. They are available at MILCO (Sefika Complex), St Michaels Roma Midway, and at the NUL Gate. A 250grams bar costs M 10. Fekefeke can be contacted on +266 56393732 or 266 62165339 for orders.
