Let’s Me Chew
Unique sauces, quality service, customer satisfaction and delicious food sums up Mrs Katlego Suze’s one of a kind condiments and business etiquette.
Suze’s love for spicing and creating different flavours that enhance food goes hand in hand with her love for cooking and everything related to food technology, catering, manufacturing of food and even farming.
As a hospitality management graduate and professional Chef, Suze aims to penetrate the food production and supply industry and operate as one of the best female-led retail suppliers in the country. LemmeChew (Let Me Chew) Foods & Beverages founded in 2016, specialises in food manufacturing, food nutrition and culinary education. Her unique selling point is her understanding of what good food is and food production as well as offering clients a creative service while exceedings expectations by diversifying the culture of food.
Quality products that meet customer needs
Her journey started when she made a sauce people loved and were willing to buy. Today, Suze is operating a small factory in Centurion, Pretoria and supplies one of the leading retail stores in South Africa, the OBC Group as well as Spar, numerous butcheries, and restaurants.
Even though there are currently three variants available, Suze plans to grow her offering by including additional flavours and spices that will complement what’s already in the market. The LemmeChew [Flavour] mousse can be used to enhance simple dishes such as scrambled eggs or as a base over meat.
“We are looking into doing herb farming and creating our own unique infused spices that households can use.”
The expansion plan also includes growing the business to endorse other manufacturers and bringing them under the Limit Shoe Holdings umbrella so they can manufacture other FMCG products.
And whether you prefer the hot, mild or lemon and herb sauce, her products are organic and healthy and created with the consumer in mind. She says, “The lemon and herb sauce is a health-conscious option that is our Vegans Banting and diabetic-friendly option that can also be used as a salad dressing, or to marinate fish and/or chicken.”
Secret ingredient to customer retention
One thing that sets LemmeChew apart is its strategic marketing plan. “Our marketing plan is created to go where our customers or potential customers are. We market our products via social media and on our interactive website page but we also do in-store promotions that allow us to either interact with our clients and allows them to taste and feel the product, making it easier for them to pick up one of our products while they do their grocery shopping.”
Visibility gives LemmeChew a competitive advantage and the taste and price point raises the bar even higher.
Success and growth
However, Suze’s success is rooted in her people. She has a strong marketing team that works extremely hard in getting the brand out there.
“My husband Sam heads the sales and marketing team of the Limited Shoe Foods business. He’s done an excellent job in that field. They do our advertising, promotions, marketing and business development. They bring in all the sales and new businesses that we have.”
Sam’s experience and knowledge has helped grow the brand, increase sales and expand LemmeChew’s customer base.
She adds: “Our brand is rooted in integrity and the art of giving back. Through our success, we intend on educating and providing less privileged and disadvantaged communities essential, healthy and unique food products at affordable prices. And we are also trying to create employment and grow the business inside our country.”
Suze adds that she is very strict in terms of business values and culture. “The culture within the organisation is teamwork, while the business values include accountability, professionalism, and integrity. So we need to be accountable for every single thing that we do in the business. We want to be take pride in what we do, good or bad.”
Suze says to be successful and be able to grow, entrepreneurs need to be open and able to deal with customer feedback regardless of whether it’s positive or not. “If we get criticism, we acknowledge it, apologise and offer a solution. ”
LemmeChew was birthed from Suze’s need to do more and to earn more. “I envisioned myself as a businesswoman. So I knew I had to do something.” Based on LemmeChew success, Suze is heading in the right direction and putting in the work needed to make this business a success.
