Mthatha brothers have taken an initial start-up loan from their mother and turned it into a thriving egg-producing business, despite both being in their early 20s.

Two brothers are set on dominating the egg industry in the Eastern Cape.

At the tender ages of 21 and 25 respectively, Lilitha and Khanya Bam, who own Lwando Farming Enterprise, supply between 80 and 100 trays of 60 eggs each to Spar Nicks Foods in King William's Town each week.

Khanya said they are looking to expand their operation so they can supply 300 trays of 60 eggs each.

“We started the business selling eggs at social grant pay points and it grew to the point that we started supplying a local retail store.”

The eggs are produced at their chicken farm which they started with a family loan at Mekeni village in Ngqamakhwe. Khanya also said  that they borrowed R40 000 from their mother and used it to buy 100 hens, bags of feed and other necessities. The business currently has 1 100 hens.

The brothers aim to become the biggest black-owned egg producers in the province. “We want to inspire black kids to show that this is possible,” he said.

The business is seeing a steady growth, which the Bam brothers attribute to savvy marketing tactics, an understanding of the sector and a passion for the industry. “We are getting a lot of people through our social media pages,” said Khanya, who is an Agricultural Sciences graduate.

When the brothers started their business, they struggled to secure land but eventually a one-hectare plot was donated to them by their local chief.

Khanya said the most important thing in the industry is to work hard and never stop learning. “If you want to be in the agricultural business, especially poultry, you must learn to be patient, have a lot of passion and be prepared to get your hands dirty.”

-This article was originally published in the GCIS Vuk'uzenzele.