How Amina Abrahams Went From Being Retrenched To A Multimillionaire

As everyone probably knows by now, throughout most of our lives, we’ve heard of the saying, “everything happens for a reason”

This phrase is more like a double edged sword, at times it’s said by people because something good happens, which affirms that a certain situation is more than just blind luck.

While at other times, people say it when something bad happens, as a way of comforting someone or themselves in a negative situation.

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As for Amina Abrahams, she had to find her “everything happens for a reason” after her world was hit with a bomb. Her marriage fell apart and to add salt to the wound, she got retrenched from her job.

The situation was really bad and she felt hopeless. She had no income nor spousal support and 2 young children to feed. This left her desperate to stay afloat.

Knowing she had to do something to survive, Amina found herself looking for an old recipe handed down from her aunt and began selling pickles, atchar & sauce.

She had no background in business whatsoever, she started by filling the first bottles with hand cut lemon preserves, went to the streets and hoped for the best.

Exotic Taste products

From the get-go, she knew her survival depended on the atchar’s flavor and the way she blended the rich oils, aromatic spices and finely chopped fruits & veggies. The mixing and matching became her a daily ritual.

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In no time, people in her neighborhood of Kensington(Cape Town) loved her mixtures dearly. After a series of encouragements from her loved ones, she launched Exotic Taste in 2006, with a vision of seeing her product being sold in large retailers all over the country.

Exotic Taste stuff at the factory

The factory of Exotic Taste started in Amina’s kitchen for a couple of years and then in January 2009, she moved to a 96m² factory in Parow Industria. In 2011, more space was needed and the team moved to an even bigger factory in Kensington.

During that time, Amina managed to secure a deal with Shoprite Group to supply her products to the retailer’s shelves. Back then, she only supplied 4 products to 5 stores but now, she supplies 8 products to over 51 stores in Western Cape.

Amina Abrahams with Christo Wiese, Shoprite Holdings chairman

According to Amina, Shoprite Group played a huge role in her life because they never gave up on her, they held her hand throughout the whole process until she was able to stand on her own feet.

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Long gone are her days of grinding alone in the kitchen all night. Exotic Taste’s factory is now filled with the chatter of 10 other people from Amina’s community.

Amina Abrahams

Amina believes she has made something of significance with Exotic Taste because not only does it empower her and feed her offsprings but also, it uplifts the rest of the community.

Amina’s vision is to empower others, more especially women, by creating a source of employment and education. She also hopes to continue developing and expanding Exotic Taste’s product range across the country’s 9 Provinces and beyond.

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In Conclusion

Everything happens for a reason.

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