Entrepreneurship Zone: 03 February 2025 : South Africa: Turning demand for fruit and veg into a thriving business
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Entrepreneurship Zone: 03 February 2025 : South Africa: Turning demand for
fruit and veg into a thriving business
<https://www.firstcapitalbank.co.zw/>
Keanu Ferreira
Interview with Keanu Ferreira
FOUNDER, FERREIRA FRESH
Lives in: Johannesburg, South Africa
_____
Keanu Ferreira launched Ferreira Fresh, a South African fruit and vegetable
supplier, in 2016 from the back of a hotel kitchen in Johannesburg. What
started as a small operation has grown into a major distributor serving
restaurants, retailers, and corporate clients. How we made it in Africa
editor-in-chief Jaco Maritz spoke to him about the challenges of building
the business, the lessons learned along the way, and his plans for
expansion.
Topics discussed during the interview include:
· Launching the business from a hotel kitchen in Johannesburg
· The strategies behind securing clients
· Sourcing fresh produce: Balancing direct farmer relationships and
market purchases
· How Ferreira Fresh approaches branding and marketing
· Insights gained from building and scaling the business
Watch the full interview below: (only available on howwemadeitinafrica.com)
Interview summary
After finishing school, Keanu Ferreira aspired to become a professional
golfer. However, his father, a seasoned entrepreneur in the fresh produce
industry, encouraged him to either pursue further education or get a job.
Keanu briefly studied commerce but after a few months realised it wasn’t for
him. “I’d rather have money in my pocket than a degree,” he thought at the
time.
Keanu’s first job was at his uncle’s restaurant, where he worked as a
kitchen hand, waiter, and eventually a floor manager. After a year, he
sought a new challenge and approached his father about joining his business,
Fruitspot, a wholesaler, processor, and distributor of fresh fruit and
vegetables.
His father had co-founded Fruitspot more than two decades earlier before
selling it to Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed retailer Massmart. Although
his father was still managing director, the company was already under its
new owners, which meant Keanu had to apply just like everybody else.
Starting from the ground up, he delivered orders, loaded trucks, and visited
some customers. However, perceptions of nepotism among colleagues prompted
him to leave and forge his own path.
Striking out on his own
Keanu knew his future lay in the fruit and vegetable industry. “It was
always in my blood,” he says, recalling school holidays spent working at
Fruitspot. He identified an opportunity to bring new energy and better
service to an industry dominated by older players.
In 2016, he launched Ferreira Fresh with his cousin Mark. They started in a
friend’s hotel kitchen, where they were given three months of free rent, and
began by supplying fruit boxes to offices. The work was far from glamorous.
“Waking up early – 4 o’clock in the morning – going to the market, buying
this stuff, coming back, packing this stuff in the box, going out to deliver
to your client that you had, finding the new clients … So it was a lot of
work, but I enjoyed it. It was all learning at the same time,” Keanu
remembers.
Their first customer was a friend’s father, and they soon began pitching to
nearby businesses. The first month saw a turnover of R15,000 (about $806),
but Keanu quickly realised that selling individual fruit boxes to offices
wouldn’t sustain the business. The company then shifted its focus to
restaurants, with his uncle’s establishment – where Keanu had first worked –
becoming its first client. From there it started supplying restaurants like
Teta Mari and Rockets, which helped build momentum.
Ferreira Fresh’s warehouse facility
Scaling up
As the business grew, so did its need for space. The small fridge at the
back of the hotel kitchen was no longer sufficient, prompting a move to a
larger facility in Linbro Park, Johannesburg. By this time, Keanu’s father,
who had retired from Fruitspot, joined the business, bringing decades of
industry expertise. His cousin, Mark, however, had another business in the
furniture industry, and decided to leave Ferreira Fresh. “So then it just
became me and my dad,” Keanu says.
When reflecting on how the company expanded its client base beyond family
and friends, Keanu points to two key factors: quality and service.
“Everybody looks at price because everybody wants to save money. But my
approach wasn’t price. Price came last in my opinion. First it was the
quality and then it was the service. So I would go to whoever I wanted to
get and I would promise them that my service will be the best that they’ve
ever seen.”
Word of mouth played a crucial role in expansion. Today, Ferreira Fresh
supplies restaurants, canteens, retail stores, and even companies that
source from them to supply major retailers like Woolworths.
The company’s fleet of over 60 branded trucks serves as mobile
advertisements. Each vehicle features unique, playful designs that capture
attention on the road.
The daily hunt for fresh produce
Ferreira Fresh sources its stock through a mix of direct farmer
relationships and the fresh produce market. Around 200 tonnes of fruit and
vegetables move through its facility daily. With his father’s industry
connections, the company has built strong partnerships with farmers, but
daily market trips remain essential. “A lot of different small farmers send
to the market and every day you got to go there. So I’m there every day
Monday to Saturday from like four in the morning because if you don’t go
there early, you won’t get the stuff that you need,” Keanu explains.
Sourcing fresh produce, however, comes with its challenges. Seasonal
shortages and fluctuating prices are constant realities. One day, avocados
might be difficult to source; the next day, it could be potatoes. “It makes
it exciting. It’s like the stock exchange. One day you could buy tomatoes
for 50 bucks, the next day it’s 80 bucks, the next day it’s 110. It’s what
we love. We wake up every day and we’re excited to go to work.”
Securing an investor
In 2024, Ferreira Fresh secured investment from Vuna Partners, a private
equity firm. Although the company wasn’t actively looking for an investor,
the partnership proved beneficial. “They’ve been amazing. They’ve helped us.
They’re also level one BEE, which helps because a lot of people are putting
pressure on BEE levels and that will help us,” Keanu notes.
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is a government policy aimed
at increasing economic participation for historically disadvantaged groups
in South Africa. For companies like Ferreira Fresh, having a BEE-compliant
investor enhances access to contracts with government-linked entities and
large corporate clients that prioritise BEE ratings.
What’s next?
Ferreira Fresh, which now employs around 350 people, is largely
concentrated in Gauteng but is eyeing expansion to Cape Town or Durban. This
move would require setting up warehouses and fleets in those regions. “A lot
of our clients in Joburg, they’re also based in Cape Town,” Keanu says. “And
they’re dying for us to go there. So we’re looking into it and hopefully
soon we can do that.”
Entrepreneurship lessons
“Don’t do tomorrow what you can do today,” is one of Keanu’s
entrepreneurship tips. He also emphasises persistence. “It won’t always work
the first time, but if you carry on, being persistent, most likely you’ll
come right. And things don’t happen overnight. It’s a lot of work. It’s a
lot of dedication.”
—Howwemadeitinafrica
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