Cape Town - Zubair Abbas of Surrey Estate started his food business with only R350, from which he made one small pot of food when no one was prepared to give him meat on credit.

The very first day he sold out within two hours, and then every week the pot size would increase.

Now, five years later, BondFoodsRylands has grown into selling food every weekend and servicing big clients like corporates, and funerals on weekdays.

He sells chicken and meat akhni, breyani and curry, as well as seafood paella, crayfish curry and butter chicken and rice.

His prices range from R40 to R80.

BondFoodsRylands also makes 30l, 60l and 100l pots of food for corporates, weddings, funerals, janazaahs and more.

BondFoodsRylands also makes 30L, 60L and 100L pots of food for corporates, weddings, funerals, janazaahs and more.

It all started after 36-year-old Abbas, a paramedic by trade, who taught first aid, had no other choice but to find a way to survive after those contracts started drying up.

“I started the business 2017/2018 completely by chance, I didn’t set out to go into the food business.

“I am actually a paramedic and I was lecturing first aid. I had been doing it for about a year or two, I used to get these contracts to train hospital staff.

Then after a while it started getting quiet. I needed to make money to feed my family, so someone said to me why don’t you sell food at Gatesville.

“I said okay, let me try it out. The butcher who knew me for years, he knew my father, did not want to give me meat on account.

So I had to start with the R350 I had. I bought the meat and I made half a pot of akhni, it was a 30 litre pot.”

Abbas had learnt cooking from his father. After selling out within an hour, he was back the following week to sell again.

“The following week I sold out again. I was worried because Ramadaan was approaching and I thought business would be quiet, by then I was on a 120l pot of food.

“To my surprise, Ramadaan turned out to be busier and I sold out again.

I learnt during this time, you actually sell triple the amount of food because people come from outlying areas to Gatesville on a Saturday to buy their groceries.”

After his success on Saturdays, someone suggested he stand opposite the local Checkers on Sundays, where he started with one gazebo. He also stood at the nearby robots and handed out pamphlets.

“Then we grew to two gazebos. One is used to protect customers from the rain and one for the food. From there, I bought a carport, put it up, got a spot opposite Checkers and rented that space every Sunday.”

His motto for his business is “PQP” which stands for portion, quality and trust.

“If you follow that rule, you can't go wrong. If you don't have money, don't have a job, buy something, sell something, do something

He said it was not always easy.

“People always think it’s about profit but there are some days you are not going to make a profit but you have to keep going. It's hard work. There’s no such thing as quick money. Something you gain quickly, you're going to lose as quickly as you gain.”

Today, his business has helped him buy a house and a car and he has started a non-profit.

Abbas can be contacted on 060 688 6622.

Cape Times