Mapasure K’sWors boerewors sausages becomes a sensation in the UK
By Caroline Chiimba
BORN in Uzumba in Zimbabwe, Delight Mapasure affectionately known as Dee, now owns K’s Wors Ltd, a UK based producer of premium boerewors sausages which have become a hit in Europe.
Coming from a less privileged background, Dee left Zimbabwe the UK in 2001 at the height of political and economic unrest in the country and has fully established myself abroad to date as a successful entrepreneur.
“I was inspired to launch the boerewors business due to a lack of authentic Southern African cuisine in the Manchester region of the UK where I currently reside,” Dee told the Entrepreneurial Magazine.
“K’s Wors was founded in 2016 after an impromptu offer to make some ‘family recipe’ boerewors for a local charity fundraiser led to a deluge of rave reviews and order requests. Born out of my kitchen and perfected on my kitchen table with the most basic of equipment using YouTube videos.
“Growing up in Africa, I cherished the vast, communal family gatherings where we cooked boerewors on the fire whilst mum made plenty of sumptuous relishes and salads. This was a time-gone-by filled with joy, where playing music and dancing dominated our down time. I wanted to replicate this warmth/sense of belonging in the UK by engendering an unfettered vibe of sunshine, spice and happiness.”
K’s Wors Ltd has created a unique recipe which contains beef, pork and lamb and uses authentic South African spices and recipes, and its CEO (Dee) recently appeared on the final episode of Dragon’s Den UK 2021 season and the products are currently on sale in Ocado and Costco Wholesale UK.
“I appeared on Dragon’s Den UK where I was pitching for investment to scale up and I was rejected but not deterred. I went on to secure a six-figure contract with Costco Wholesale,” Dee said.
“The fact that I believe in my product, and I have the resilience and tenacity to keep going against all odds has taken me this far. Another source of inspiration for me are my children. I would like to give them the life that I didn’t have and create opportunities that did not exist for me.
“There is a shortage of role models where I live. I would like to be a role model for anyone who comes from a similar background as mine and is looking at starting a business.”
Dee added that she came from an entrepreneurial background, whereby her grandparents used to grow and sell vegetables while her father was a successful farmer and her mother was a trader and a successful multilevel marketer.
“This was all the inspiration I needed to set up my own businesses. My parents brought us up to be self-sufficient and financially independent. One should not be limited by their place of residence if they wish to start a business. The vison lives within you and not where you are physically located. I knew this was my calling and I just followed my dream,” she said.
“We have plans to set up operations in Zimbabwe and throughout the Southern African region. It is my dream that K’s Wors becomes a global brand where our products are accessible to everyone. We would like to create employment in Zimbabwe and provide mentorship and support for start-up entrepreneurs.”
Dee is a previous winner of the prestigious Black African Woman Rock award. She also became a member of the British African Business Alliance; a not-for-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs from African backgrounds both in the UK and on the continent.
However, Dee explained that she faced challenges as a woman trying to set up business in a foreign country.
“The biggest challenge for me was accessing finance. My lack of knowledge in the industry I had ventured into coupled by my foreign background were immediate barriers to accessing finance,” she said.
“I made 20 applications for start-up funding and 19 of those were rejected. It was the 20th one that funded the launch of our products into UK retail.
“Another challenge is being a woman in a male dominated industry. Female entrepreneurs are not taken seriously, and I remember my business once being dismissed as a hobby and being told that women like were better off at home raising children and cleaning.”
Dee has encouraged other aspiring entrepreneurs to start where they are with what they have, adding that there will never be the right time.
“Be open minded and do not be limited by your environment, instead find inspiration from it and thrive,” she added.
