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"We intend to export our products to India"

| | Mar 09, 2015, at 05:45 pm
South African Trade and Industry department hosted the sixth international Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) in Kolkata recently. Nishie Gounden visited Kolkata and attended the sixth ITI as a key representative of South African food processing Company Metro Caterers CC. IBNS correspondent Deepayan Sinha caught up with her for a brief chat. Excerpts:

Tell us about your company.

The company I am representing here, Metro Caterers CC is food processing company of South Africa which manufactures frozen and processed foods. Our company established in 1998  in South Africa's Durban by my father Bobby Govender who has scored an experience of more than 50 years in this field. Our company manufactures veg and non-veg frozen snacks. We also provide hospitality and catering training to the women and youths of South Africa to develop their skills. I have joined in five years ago.

Do you think you will export your products to India?

Yes, we intend exporting it to India. We see that this is a very good market for our products. You have a lot of excellent Indian products. However, our products will compliments Indian markets and you will also get the taste of South Africa in Indian atmosphere.

What do you feel about Kolkata?

I have come here as a participant of the sixth international ITI with the South African delegation from the department of Trade and Industry. We visited Hyderabad earlier and marketed our product in Hyderabad expo and now I am here in Bengal's Kolkata. This is a passionate city. I always wanted to visit, but never got the opportunity before. This is my first time in Kolkata and I am very happy to be here. We will try to set up a manufacturing plant in Kolkata.

Your company uses Indian spices in its products. Do you directly import  them from India?

We import, but not directly. We buy the Indian spices from local South African stores.

Your company is a BBBEE company. What is BBBEE?

BBBEE means Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment business. Our country now looks at this kind of businesses. Basically females, youths, black-males and black-females are considered as employees in BBBEE businesses.

You were in charge of catering in FIFA World Cup 2010. Tell us something on that experience.

Yes, but not the scale of the catering itself. Holland gave us the tender together. We had given hospitality training to some people who were sent by FIFA and were employed contractually across the county.

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