Twin Chicks: Reaching greater horizons

Normally, when we think of farming, we envision a male dominated industry. Founded in January 2021 by friends Mpho Serabele and Dimakatso Motiang, Twin Chicks is a female owned poultry farming business. The name Twin Chicks was as a result of people assuming that Mpho and Dimakatso were twins.

Mpho hails from Harrismith, Free State and Dimakatso from Madidi Village where their farming business is based. In addition to working as a banker, Mpho owns and operates the Comfort Luxurious Wellness Spa in Johannesburg while Dimakatso works independently as a Clinical Psychologist.

Both women had a strong interest in agriculture and considered themselves successful businesswomen, so they decided to start their own company together. They were aware of the requirements for running a business and the sacrifices that would be demanded from them. Their idea was to take care of the company now so that it can take care of them in the future.

Additionally, they wanted to demonstrate that women can work and succeed together. They place a high value on this because women frequently have difficulty providing support to one another.

Like any other business, Twin Chicks has had its fair share of challenges. Some of these challenges include funding, load shedding and the high cost of chicken feed, but that has not been able to hinder the growth of the business.

Mpho’s and Dimakatso also shared valuable advices to young people who want to start their own business. “Motivation can’t get you where you want to go; discipline can. Keep in mind that discipline is what keeps you going, not motivation,” said Mpho.

“Do what you want, and then act as if it were impossible to fail. We must alter our mentality. Let us stop making excuses and make opportunities for ourselves,” said Dimakatso.

The acquisition of the land on which they began raising chickens was their greatest achievement. Their farm has been growing despite all the challenges they face every day. They are part of the Proudly South African brand.

Expanding into different livestock farming is one of the goals for the future. Twin Chicks want to become experts in poultry before they move on to other types of livestock. They would prefer to process and package their own meat. They also plan to provide training in 2023 for people who want to start a poultry business.

On the 23rd of January, Twin Chicks celebrated its second-year anniversary. Mpho and Dimakatso shared, “For us, this is a significant victory. Celebrating our “small” successes and accomplishments means honouring our efforts, reaffirming our faith in ourselves, and recognizing our hard work.”