Dancer making it big in the fish industry

By Showbiz Reporter

In the current economic environment where some basic commodities are slowly moving away from the reach of many, those who are providing alternatives are smiling all the way to the bank.

One such individual who has seen his business blossom is Ashlee Nyathi, whose company MegProm Trading has become one of the biggest suppliers of kapenta (Matemba) in Mbare.

“These days business has been booming because other meat sources like beef and chicken are expensive so matemba has become a delicacy for many people,” said Nyathi.

The young man was a talented dancer, but after realising that it was not easy to make the big bucks on the local dance scene, he decided to find something else to do. That is how MegProm Trading came to life.

Having traded his dancing shoes for the world of entrepreneurship, the young man seems to have made brilliant decision considering that his business is growing.

“When I realized that there was not much money to be made in dance, I decided to find something else to do that would earn me a living.

“While I was throwing numerous ideas around, I met this other guy who was in the kapenta business and he told me to give it a try.

“I was a bit skeptical at first but then something just told me that there was no harm in trying and after being shown the ropes, things started happening.”

During the first days in the trade, he was importing just a few bags from Mozambique but as time went on, he started graduating into the big leagues.

From selling a few packets a day from a corner stall, he has since moved to a bigger premises which employs several individuals.

“During the first days, I would only manage to bring in about five or 10 bags of kapenta for distribution but then demand grew higher and right now we are bringing in thousands of bags per month, depending on availability from our suppliers in Mozambique.

While he is doing well on the business front, he has not abandoned his love for dance.

“I believe the fact that I am doing well in business puts me in a position where I can also make a contribution in the development of dance in the country.

“Many of the kids who dance get opportunities to shine on platforms like Jibilika and other similar initiatives so very soon I will be coming up with my own initiative to help young dancers.”