Narrating her story of how she started her entrepreneurial journey, she explains it was in 2010 when she attended an agricultural show at the village located in the north eastern part of Botswana. It was while exploring the exhibits that her attention was captured by a display at the National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) stall, which was formerly known as Naftec. The display featured various products made from the morama bean, a legume she fondly remembered from her childhood. "I immediately stopped by the stall because growing up, we used to eat morama," Motlhabi recalls. "I was interested to find out what they were doing with it." To her delight, she discovered an array of innovative products derived from the morama bean.
Intrigued by the possibilities, she enquired further about the initiative. Recognising her interest and passion, the NARDI team invited her to join a specialised training programme focused on the commercialisation of morama-based products. The rest is history. This opportunity marked the beginning of a new chapter for Motlhabi. Armed with the knowledge and skills from the training, she began to explore the potential of the morama bean in the market. She would use the skills she acquired at the training to produce biscuits, cupcakes and other confectionary using the morama powder.
Today, in a world increasingly dominated by fast food and quick fixes, Motlhabi has turned to this indigenous treasure to carve out a niche in the food industry. Motlhabi, affectionately known as Mmamorama, has since embraced the morama bean, a traditional staple, and commercialised it, creating a thriving business that honours her roots and sustains her family. “We started off as a team and as time passed by, I ended up being the only person chasing this dream. I was determined because I could see the potential that morama bean has after the NARDI training,” she explains. Over the years, she has developed a variety of products, bringing the rich flavours and nutritional benefits of this indigenous bean to a broader audience.
Motlhabi’s first commercial product was the biscuits that received positive feedback. As a full time employee, she would cook and package her products while off duty and deliver them using his car. Motlhabi has plans to add more products to her brand as she has already started producing morama oil, which can be used as cooking oil or a skin product. She also has morama milk on the pipeline. To market her business, she uses social media and usually participates in the exhibitions. Motlhabi says she faces hurdles in the business and already exploring ways to tackle them. “One of the challenges I encounter is accessing morama beans and cracking the nuts for production and normally a 50kg morama bean produces only 12.5 kg.
However, in future I have plans to plough my own product,” she says. Motlhabi stands as a testament to the power of innovation rooted in tradition. Her success story is not only a personal triumph but also a celebration of the morama bean, a culinary gem that has found a new place in the modern marketplace through her dedication and entrepreneurial spirit.
