Would you make the cut as a 'Colour Your Plate with Koo' competitor?

As one of the country’s most loved kitchen companions for over 80 years, many South Africans have fond memories of Koo’s versatile canned and jarred produce being incorporated in everything from their lunch boxes to their Christmas feasts.

This is certainly true of Alberton’s Karen van der Merwe, winner of the second season of the brand’s popular TV cooking competition, Colour Your Plate with Koo. “Koo has been a part of my life and heritage for generations,” she says.

Now that Van der Merwe’s been crowned “Mzansi’s newest cooking star”, fans of the show can’t help but wonder, will Colour Your Plate with Koo return for a third season?

We sat down with Edna Mohale-Maphita, marketing director of Tiger Brands, which owns Koo, to find out.

Will there be a third season of Colour Your Plate with Koo?

If people continue to love and engage with our show, we would love to be on air.

At Koo, we are passionate about making “eating better” easier for all South Africans and the show provides us with the tools to do this. 

Over the last few years, we’ve observed that maintaining good health has been a struggle for most people. Even before the global pandemic, our health as a nation was already declining at an alarming and exponential rate. As leaders in food, Koo has really taken this problem to heart and realised the need to educate South Africans on how they can make changes to their eating habits in an easy and sustainable way.

With locally sourced fruit and vegetables that do not lose their nutrients due to long hours of travelling before packaging, Koo’s products [are both delicious and nutritious].

Colour Your Plate with Koo not only allows us to provide viewers with ideas of how they can incorporate Koo products in their meals [by watching the contestants on the show do just that], but also showcases the immense culinary talent in our nation.

What’s the meaning behind the name of the show, Colour Your Plate?

By colouring your plate, you not only make your meal more appetising and appealing, but are getting more nutrients into your body. The more colour you add to your diet, the more nutritional benefits you are getting.

What do you look for when selecting Colour Your Plate with Koo contestants?

We look for passion and creativity. To withstand the [pressures of a] culinary career, these are the two most important attributes that a chef requires, and we want to ensure that contestants use the platform and the learnings from [their time on] the show to make a name for themselves and springboard their careers to new heights.

At Koo, we’re passionate about growing talent, and so the willingness to learn and [the desire] for self-improvement is another thing we look for in all our contestants, as this will take them far. 

Is there anything new and exciting that we should look out for in Koo’s product catalogue?

We’re continuously innovating to ensure we provide our consumers with accessible and affordable nutritional offerings.

We recently launched Koo Pilchards to provide an affordable source of protein for our consumers with the benefits of heart wellness [from] omega-3.

We’ve also expanded our fruit range to include pineapples. So this summer, South Africans will be able to enjoy Koo pineapples whether in a baked good, a blended drink or just as is.

Koo will continue to innovate, so consumers just need to watch out for any new product announcements — follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

What is Koo doing to give back to SA? 

As a brand, Koo wants to ensure there’s a clear thread of “farm to can” freshness and goodness in our products, while contributing to the South African economy. That’s why we ensure that all farmers, both big and small, are able to contribute to our catalogue.

Koo also has a bursary programme for culinary students at the prestigious Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine. This programme allows young aspiring chefs the opportunity to not only attend this school, but to be mentored by celebrity chef Reuben Riffel, thus providing them with the necessary skills and experience to enter the culinary industry. 

Did you miss Colour Your Plate with Koo season 2? Stream it now

Holidays and entertaining go hand-in-hand, so if you’re looking for fresh ideas for dishes to serve your family and friends this December, why not take inspiration from the innovative recipes cooked by the contestants of Colour Your Plate with Koo season 2?

If you missed the show when it recently aired on SABC2, click on over to Koo’s YouTube channel where you’ll find full episodes, highlights and behind-the-scenes footage.

Don’t forget to show off your culinary creations on social media using the hashtag #ColourYourPlateWithKoo.

This article was paid for by Koo.