By Mosa Matela
Palesa Polihali is a self-made local entrepreneur who is making inroads in the world of business with her brand ‘Spice Queen’, which specialises in the manufacturing of spices, condiments, and snack packs.
Polihali, who was born and bred in Lesotho, moved to Johannesburg, South Africa in a quest to find greener pastures and explore the endless opportunities that are often provided by the City of Gold.
She completed high school in TY in 2005, and proceeded to pursue a qualification in Office Administration at Lerotholi Polytechnic in 2007.
She had to drop out of school during her first year due to marriage and child birth. That is when she decided to take the leap of faith and move to Johannesburg with hopes to make a decent living.
She managed to find a job as a receptionist at an attorney’s office, before finally being granted the opportunity to start a legal company, where she currently works as the head of the organisation and a consultant.
The heavy COVID-19 lockdown hardships that came with the pandemic in 2020 inspired Polihali to venture into food processing.
She took into account the challenges her clients were facing during that time and saw it as an opportunity to start a venture that would allow her to stay afloat during those hard times.
“I realised that Lesotho had little to nothing in relation to natural herbs and spices and that prompted me to try process them for my own personal use,” Polihali recounted.
After doing this, she realised that she’d have nothing to lose if she made these products available commercially, therefore birthing her pride and joy, Spice Queen, in the year 2021.
Spice Queen produces and packages dried single ingredient spices, such as dry sage. It also dabbles in different blends such as Greek lamb rubs, spinach powder and steak mix that all come in 100ml spice shakers.
The company recently introduced chilli pastes that come in 260g jars, garlic-based condiments that come in 150g jars and garlic spreads that come in 500g jars.
It also produces a plethora of snacks such as a variety of nuts, seeds, and dry fruits that all come in 100g packaging.
Polihali delved into the challenges she faces as an entrepreneur. She explained that as much as capital is a huge challenge, the biggest is lack of support from Basotho when it comes to local brands.
“Basotho often do not trust the quality offered by local brands, and this often kills local brands before they even start operating,” Polihali noted.
She also indicated that she has realised that support often comes from how well Basotho know you on a personal level, which results in ‘less popular’ individuals having to work all the harder in order to prove themselves and the quality of their work.
Polihali has practiced patience and unwavering belief in her products, and in turn this has allowed her to grow and progress as an entrepreneur.
She urges fellow entrepreneurs to do the same, and to remain consistent and perseverant.
Her products are available at Pick n Pay Pioneer Mall and Masianokeng; MILCO at Sefika Complex; a variety of Puma Energy garages and The Engen Gateway Maseru Mall.
Her products are also available in a much larger variety at Tholo Energy, Ha Mabote. Contact her on whatsapp on 56488797 and on Orders@spicequeen.co.za
