Estie Gane ~ East London’s Emerging Entrepreneur
Estie Gane, the Ginger in Ginger&Co, is a truly remarkable lady. Having known her for a good few years now – since the days when she ran McCantsi Country Kitchen with husband Benji in Kidd’s Beach – I have observed how much she’s grown over the years and how her hard work has paid off. Yes, there is truth in what they say about redheads: Estie is passionate and driven with of course, a sprinkle of feistiness thrown in too. The best thing about her though? How she remains completely humble. Yes, even after winning the award for Emerging Entrepreneur in the BWA Regional Business Achievers Awards (RBAA) this past weekend.
Obviously this is a huge accolade for Estie, and one can only imagine what it feels like to receive such an award. So I hand you over to the lady herself so she can tell you more about it, and what the future holds for Ginger&Co…
“ONLINE SHOPPING….because it’s frowned upon to be in a store with no bra, messy hair and a glass of wine.”
Starting an online business in East London might have been frowned upon too! When we formed Ginger&Co exactly two years ago we set off with the goal of becoming the top national purveyor of authentically cooked meals….in a nutshell: Frozen meals for the discerning diner. Knowing full well that it will be quite a challenge, especially in a town like East London where shops are still very easily accessible, traffic not bad at all and where it’s still reasonably safe to go out shopping, we decided to be the first to market – however daunting it seemed at the time.
Two years later and our customer base has grown, we have a recognised brand and we have established Ginger&Co as a reliable service provider.
Having been nominated for this award was a huge honour in itself. The nomination stipulated that I was being recognised for the work I do at Ginger&Co. As a wife and mom of two young kids, and working in a start-up business, there is a huge demand on my time. It takes a lot of juggling and sacrifice to get through what is expected of me each day. It can be very overwhelming at times. The nomination has been very rewarding and motivating in that all my effort do not go unnoticed.
The year ahead is full of excitement, challenges, new developments and promising opportunities. Being part of the BWA affords so much in terms of networking and exposure for your business. I can strongly recommend every woman in business, no matter how small or new, to link up with this dynamic group of women.
Winning the Regional Business Achievers Award in the category Emerging Entrepreneur was hugely humbling for me personally, but also a recognition of a bold, unique and exciting business concept.
If you haven’t visited our website you can connect with us at www.gingerfood.co.za or come experience what we are all about at our coffee bar inside the LFD Design Quarter at 16 Bowls Road.”
Please join us in congratulating Estie on her win in the Regional Business Achievers Awards, we look forward to seeing more fruits of her labour in the future. You are an inspiration to many, Estie Gane, and we wish you every success!