WINDHOEK- Young entrepreneur Karina Mungonena was tired of being a learner with no income and decided to turn her passion into a business.
Twenty-three-year-old Mungonena started selling meat in front of her grandmother’s house in Wambo-Location bus stop in Katutura until she got a chance to sell her meat at a popular spot in Windhoek which opened doors for her. She then decided to join the catering business and registered her company with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. “Food is my passion. I started when I was in high school at home and I got a chance to braai at a local club Monaco Lounge. People loved what I offered and they would call me to cook at their events and from there I’ve been receiving good tenders and decided to open up my own business,” says Mungonena.
Today, she is running her own business , Twahafa Catering Services, that she has named after her son, Twahafa. Twahafa Catering currently has four permanent staff members but recruits about 20 temporarily people depending on the tenders. Mungonena says running a business and studying at the same time is not an easy task, especially when people doubt her because of her age. “It gets challenging when my work clashes with my school. People always underestimate me because of my age but my son and siblings inspire me to keep going because they all look up to me,” she adds.
Customer satisfaction is their first priority. “Customers are always coming back. We are not comfortable with our clients because we like to attract new clients and maintain the once we already have,” she determines. Twahafa Catering offers all types of food from traditional food, daily lunch packs, platters and buffets to international cuisines with a price range of N$10 to N$1000 depending on the tender. The catering service’s main targets include conferences, private parties, boardroom meetings, seminars and end-of- year functions and so much more.
“I always find a way to make my food unique. I want to be the first choice for anyone who needs to be catered for,” Mungonena pledges hoping to have branches of her business all over Namibia within five years from now. Mungonena is currently a last year Business Administration student at the University of Namibia (Unam) as well as personal assistant at Signet Petroleum Limited.