Ice Cream Startup Wins Shoprite Deal, Eyes R1m Prize

Thando Volontiya was making ice cream by hand in his KwaDwesi home when Shoprite Checkers sent him an email that changed everything. The retail giant wants to stock his GQ Creamery products in their stores across Nelson Mandela Bay, with plans to expand throughout the Eastern Cape.

The timing couldn't be better. On Thursday, Volontiya will pitch for a R1 million prize at the Standard Bank Kasi SME National Pitch Challenge finals in Gqeberha, where he's one of 10 national finalists after winning the Eastern Cape round.

"They basically said they saw our product on social media and liked it," Volontiya said about Shoprite's unexpected offer. The retailer will carry GQ Creamery ice cream in sizes from 45ml to one liter.

Volontiya's journey to this moment started in a back room in Cotswold, where he lived after relocating from Johannesburg following his father's death in 2021. He arrived in Gqeberha without a job or clear plan, driving for e-hailing services while selling shoes and clothes on the side.

Then he remembered the exotic dessert shops he'd seen in Johannesburg. A quick search revealed Gqeberha had none. He downloaded photos of similar desserts, posted them on social media, and watched them go viral.

At first, he bought ready-made ice cream and decorated it with toppings. As demand grew, he taught himself to make gelato and ice cream from scratch. Eventually, he enrolled at Carpigiani Gelato University's Johannesburg training center for a two-week intensive course on ice cream production and flavor development.

Today, GQ Creamery has one store in Newton Park. On September 1st, a mobile ice cream trailer with tables, chairs and umbrellas will debut on Main Road in Walmer. Volontiya plans to use profits from these locations to fund a third outlet near the William Moffett Expressway, then a fourth in Kariega.

"I don't have a gelato machine yet. Everything is handmade," he explained. He's still producing every batch in his home kitchen.

His goal is to have all four shops running by early 2027, then establish a factory for large-scale production. That factory would allow him to fulfill the Shoprite deal and supply other smaller businesses interested in his products.

The Ripple Effect

Volontiya's success shows how the Standard Bank Kasi SME National Pitch Challenge creates opportunities beyond prize money. The competition connects small businesses with corporate supply chains and retail partners, opening doors that might otherwise stay closed to township entrepreneurs.

For a young man who learned his craft "from the streets, as a kasi boy," Volontiya is now positioned to build a manufacturing operation that could create jobs and inspire other entrepreneurs in the Eastern Cape.

Whether he wins Thursday's R1 million prize or not, Volontiya has already proven that handmade ice cream, social media savvy, and determination can turn a back room operation into a retail success story.

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