Food & Beverage Growth Coalition Connects SMMEs with Financiers
Cape Town’s Food & Beverage Growth Coalition brought together SMMEs, financiers, and government departments for its latest quarterly engagement, focused on closing the funding gap facing small businesses in the sector.
The session brought financiers including Nedbank, Africa Bank, and Business Partners into the same room as government representatives from DEDAT and the City of Cape Town, alongside local SMMEs such as Grumpy Snacks, Food Sock, and |Xam Khwa/khwe San Entrepreneurs.
Opening the day, Shawn Charlie of Business Partners set the scene on the scale of the challenge. Charlie pointed to a national funding gap of R350 billion that needs to be closed to unlock 5% economic growth, and highlighted the scale of opportunity in township economies, home to an estimated one million businesses, three million jobs, and roughly a trillion rand in spending power
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Sharief Davids of DEDAT’s Enterprise Development Unit introduced FinFind, an SME funding marketplace that matches businesses with suitable funders from a database of banks, private lenders, and government departments. While government does not fund SMMEs directly, the Western Cape Government is actively promoting the platform to help businesses navigate access to finance, one of the top barriers facing SMMEs alongside crime and access to markets.
The programme then moved into a fireside chat with Lucas Tsatsi of Oribi Incubator and Nokuthula Masiba, an entrepreneur who started her own business: Sebenza Trading Solutions.
One of the most powerful insights emerging from the fireside chat was that access to finance is rarely just about money. For many entrepreneurs, particularly those in the early stages of their business journey, the real challenge lies in understanding what is needed to become investment-ready.
The conversation reflected on how many businesses operate in “survival mode”, focused on meeting immediate operational demands rather than building the systems, processes, and strategic capabilities required for long-term growth.
Strengthening SMME growth requires more than funding; it requires an interconnected ecosystem of mentors, incubators, financiers, and support organisations working together to help entrepreneurs progress from survival to sustainable growth.
Africa Bank’s John Lomberg reiterated this in the Q&A session, noting that the funding gap is as much a knowledge gap as a financial one that is exasperated by silos between financiers and development funds.
Better referral pathways for entrepreneurs declined by one funder but who might qualify elsewhere were positioned as one way to helping business owners navigate the system.
The engagement closed with a networking session, giving SMMEs, funders, and government the chance to connect directly and continue conversations started during the day.
The Food & Beverage Growth Coalition is convened by the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP) in partnership with the City of Cape Town and industry stakeholders. The coalition aims to connect SMMEs, government, and big business to drive job creation, skills development, and inclusive growth in Cape Town’s food and beverage sector.
