CoCreate Hub, a local entrepreneurial development centre based in Stellenbosch central, celebrated its second year of establishment on 27 July.
This was according to Andrea Rhoda, CoCreate Hub manager.
Ranyaka, a non-profit organisation, established CoCreate after it renovated the structure that was previously home to the Victoria Street Clinic, said Rhoda.
“We had a vision for economic inclusion in Stellenbosch,” said Marli Goussard, co-founder of the hub and development manager at Ranyaka Enterprise.
CoCreate Hub, a local entrepreneurial development centre, celebrated its second birthday on 27 July, according to Andrea Rhoda, CoCreate Hub manager. The hub aims to “provide an opportunity for people to be able to feed their families”, said Marli Goussard, the co-founder of the hub and development manager at Ranyaka Enterprise. PHOTO: SUPPLIED/Andrea Rhoda; Hannah Theron
A sustainable initiative
Along with the hub, some of the vendors celebrated two years of being with CoCreate, said Rhoda. “There are vendors here who have been with us from the start and they’ve grown exceptionally,” she added.
Vendors do not pay rent to operate out of the hub, stated Rhoda. “[Vendors are charged] a minimal percentage on products [and] items sold to contribute to our overheads,” she explained.
After Ranyaka sponsored the equipment and rent of Kasi Gawula, one of the first stalls at the hub, the stall’s only costs were packaging and fresh produce, said Palesa Mabutla, co-owner of Kasi Gawula.
CoCreate Hub has not broken even yet, but it has experienced an increase in customers since its opening, according to Marli Goussard, the co-founder of the hub and development manager at Ranyaka Enterprise. “If you look around you, the place is full and that’s all we want,” said Goussard. PHOTO: SUPPLIED/Andrea Rhoda; Hannah Theron
Fostering local connections
Approximately 40 local entrepreneurs trade directly from the hub or sell their products and services there, according to Goussard.
These include food stalls, gift stores, and beauty treatments, said Rhoda.
“It’s the people that make the place,” said Jessica Ginsberg, a third-year BA international studies student at Stellenbosch University, who attended the hub’s celebration. Ginsberg frequents the hub because of its “homely environment”, she said.
Both students and professionals “enjoy the space” that the CoCreate Hub provides, said Andrea Rhoda, CoCreate Hub manager. However, during holiday periods, the hub struggles to maintain its foot traffic, said Rhoda. PHOTO: Supplied/Andrea Rhoda; Hannah Theron
Market feasibility
The hub was established as a “space for people of all walks of life to come together”, said Rhoda.
Because the hub predominantly caters to students, vendors have struggled to set affordable prices that align with their financial interests, she said.
“We need to make [the hub] sustainable because it needs to carry itself. It can’t be completely funded by donors all the time,” said Goussard.
The hub still needs working capital before it can turn a profit, as it is yet to break even, explained Goussard.
(From left to right) CoCreate Hub’s staff members, Andrea Rhoda, manager at CoCreate, Onke Mbelwa, facilities manager at CoCreate, Heleen Pienaar, marketing director at CoCreate, Purdey September, office administrator for Ranyaka, Sue Yallop, programme and systems consultant at Ranyaka, and Dianne Pritchard, finance and coordinations administrator at Ranyaka. Ranyaka is a non-profit organisation that established CoCreate, said Rhoda. PHOTO: Hannah Theron