Cool off with some 'Mac Delights'

By Tawanda Ngena

He is one of Zimbabwe and Africa's emerging entrepreneurs, at the young age of 20, he has achieved what those the same age as him would never even fathom.

He describes himself as "a driven, motivated and passionate individual who will stop at nothing, an individual who is innovative and strongly believes in his potential.

He is the founder of 'Mac Delights', one of the fastest rising 'frozen dessert' companies in the region.

We caught up with the South African-based Nigel Rambgwawasvika and this is his story.

What is 'Mac Delights'?  

Mac Delights is a snack and refreshments company owned by a young 20 year old individual called Nigel Mac-Rare, that focuses on frozen desserts, ice cream, frozen juices and chips.

Is there a story behind the name?

The brand name is derived from the nickname that I had from my early days at school. My surname (Rambgwawasvika) was too long and thus, people called me 'RARE' because it is not everyday that you see someone with a 14 letter word surname. I was called MAC-RARE and the brand name just came from that, making it MAC DELIGHTS.

When and where was it founded?

The brand was founded last year 2016 in June, that's when we had the first prototypes of the product in Pretoria, South Africa.

What are some of the products that are produced under the 'Mac Delights' name?

We have ice creams (Mac Chill), named so because it does make you 'chill', especially in this warm weather.

We also have milkshakes (Mac Shakes) and the reason why it's called a Mac Shake is because it is formulated in such a way that it thickens the more you shake but our main product remains the #MacIce, our 200 ml sachets of cold refreshing juice.

What inspired you to want to take up this type of business?

The fear of being unable to afford finer things in life made me make a decision to venture into this, we had initially thought of starting a bakery but as you know, it is just a lot of labourlabour.  Plan B was to have the first black owned Vodka in Zimbabwe but the capital needed was just too much so we opted for this venture instead.

What has the response been from the buying public thus far?

The public loves it, the fact that it is owned by a 20 year old makes it different because most 20 year olds are thinking of printing shirts or going into Zim dance hall, of which the market is crowded.

What goals did you set for yourself when you started this venture and how far have you gone in realising them?

The goal was and is to establish the brand, being the best and most loved brand in the Southern African region and to expand beyond that as well.

Is your product easily available and accessible to everyone?

The product is easily available it's already on the streets like your Lyons Maid ice creams and a couple of retailers in town.

What do you believe, makes your product standout?  Why should it be the first preference for the buying public?

The design and packaging of the brand makes it different that's why it stands out.

What is your target market?

Basically anyone feeling hot that wants to cool down, refresh and have a snack is our target. So basically we are targeting all age groups with our products.

What marketing programs have you put in place to make sure that your product is well promoted and reaches its intended target?

We have sponsored posts on social media to grab and increase attention towards our products.

Besides that, we attend school sporting events and sponsor them with water and our juice at times, run competitions that makes our brand exposed to the public and attend social events from time to time. 

What other avenues are you looking to explore next?

Most probably bottled juice and pre-packaged cocktails.

Tell us a bit more about you yourself and how all this started?

Nigel Rambgwawasvika known as Nigel Mac-Rare among his peers and associates was born in Harare the capital city, on 2rd of November 1996. I kick started my quest for education at Digglefold primary school in Marondera and finished my high school at Rabboni College in South Africa. My entrepreneurial and business interests were very visible at an early age and it earned me the nickname ‘’dealer’’ back in school.

I was selling 'limited edition' sneakers, wrist- watches and any other petty items to my mates and I also went as far as organising dancing events and parties which gave me the much needed cash to afford all the fancy things that any normal teenager would dream of.

I obtained my Matric in 2013 which is scaled as form 6 in South Africa and immediately landed a job at Harcourt’s a Real Estate company in same year as a realtor, also worked part time with PC Galaxy, a company owned by my friend which help me build my own business skills. In 2016 that's when I founded my company Mac Delights after I saw a gap in the market and an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for myself and future generation. I realised that the frozen desserts industry in Africa and the entire world is a billion dollar industry but we have very few local brands in the market, hence the birth of Mac Delights.