FRANCISTOWN: Fifty-eight-year-old Florence Manase has found a niche in cooking through her business Black Brew which promotes healthy eating as a way of fighting non-communicable diseases in the second city.

Manase holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, a degree she obtained from the University of Botswana. Manase told BusinessMonitor that she started her business three months back after realising that a lot of people in the city are living an unhealthy lifestyles. Black Brew business operates in the Central Business District (CBD) next to Absa main branch.

The health enthusiast revealed that her self-funded business offers healthy takeaway meals and free consultations so that the customers can be mindful of their nutrients. She said that meals are offered with hot and cold beverages which include herb-infused teas and juices together with immune-boosting coffee.

Manase indicated that their daily main course includes red salad, twisted coleslaw, healthy hearty salad, and chicken strips infused with herbs. Black Brew also offers sandwiches such as the yummy egg, braai sauce, and healthy meaty which is made up of either beef mince, chicken, or fish with an addition of soya, cucumber, carrots, celery, tomatoes to mention but a few. Some of the nutritional juices sold at Black Brew include homemade carrot, beetroot, grapefruit, and apple and celery juices.

The health fanatic said that so far the business is doing well as she gets a minimum of 20 customers in a day. “We started operating in the CBD just a week ago, but we have so far received a positive response from the locals. This shows that a lot of people are ready to change their eating habits in order to stay healthy,” she added. When speaking about what inspired her, the mother of two said that her daughter who has been vegan for the past seven years is the inspiration behind the business concept.

She also said that she was also concerned about the rise of non-communicable diseases amongst youth. The entrepreneur stated that when doing her survey she was not impressed at the number of youth found queuing for consultations at different clinics around the city. She shared that her findings indicated that the majority of youth people queuing for consultations were complaining mostly about headaches, blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and stomach aches.

Most of these illnesses could have been avoided if they were living a healthy lifestyle Manase said that this calls for concern as there are reports that non-communicable diseases are on the rise, which are normally not inherited but caused by unhealthy eating patterns. “My business through its menus encourages healthy eating to fight or prevent non-communicable diseases. Money was not my primary goal but as it stands the business is very profitable,” she added.

She indicated that she uses fresh produce from local farmers to come up with her in-demand mouth-watering dishes. The company currently has two employees, but Manase plans to hire more when she expands her business.