What began as a self-taught experiment in a garage has grown into a budding agro-processing business — and Mpho Mathabi, founder of Peanata Peanut Butter, is only getting started.
Born out of resilience and resourcefulness, Peanata was officially founded in September 2024. Just five months later, in February 2025, it expanded into a fully-fledged factory facility in Venda, Limpopo. The entrepreneur behind the brand, Mpho Mathabi, said her journey into peanut butter production was an unexpected turn in her entrepreneurial path.
“I was doing branding before COVID-19,” she recalls.
“After COVID-19, things just became slow. I was in Johannesburg but later decided to move to Venda in 2021.”
Back in her hometown, Mathabi’s entrepreneurial spirit remained unshaken. She bought a piece of farmland from her grandfather and began farming. It was during this period that her interest in agro-processing was sparked. “When I was here, I bought a farm from my grandfather and decided to start farming because food will always be needed. When I was doing that, I fell in love with the idea of agro-processing, and peanuts were the commodity I decided to focus on,” she explains.
Her journey into food production has been unconventional.
“It’s all self-taught. “You would not believe that, to date, I have not been to anyone’s peanut butter factory. I did a lot of research — it is one of my biggest strengths. I know how to research a product for a business. I used Google, phone calls and YouTube.
“I had to come up with ways to fund this. It is still self-funded — I haven’t had any investor come in. But we have managed to survive and grow.” One turning point in the business was an act of generosity that still humbles her. During her research, she crossed paths with a former peanut butter manufacturer who offered her his unused equipment — at no cost.
With the donated machines and knowledge in hand, Mathabi began production from her home garage. As orders grew, she reinvested in the business and eventually bought her own machines. By February 2025, Peanata Peanut Butter had moved into a proper production facility. “I started to sell and then bought my own machines. Initially, Peanata was sold to locals on Facebook. As word spread, I decided to venture into the reseller model. This allowed me to sell the product a bit faster. I think that was the main reason we grew so fast.”
Today, Peanata employs three people and works with resellers across Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. The product is also stocked at a SPAR outlet in Venda.
For more information, contact Mpho Mathabi on 067 980 5335 or search Peanata on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
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