Q & A: MAKERS LANDING
Making space to empower
Bongani Khuzwayo, Assistant Manager of Small Business Enterprise Development at the V & A Waterfront, shares how Makers Landing is nurturing the next generation of food entrepreneurs through collaboration, skills development, and access.
BONGANI KHUZWAYO | ASSISTANT MANAGER
How is Makers Landing helping F & B start-ups turn ideas into sustainable businesses? Makers Landing is designed as a platform for possibility, events, experimentation and sharing. It’ s where ideas don’ t just remain ideas. We support entrepreneurs across the full journey, from concept to customer. That includes providing access to affordable shared kitchen infrastructure so startups can produce professionally without high upfront costs; providing business development support and mentorship to help them turn ideas into viable operations; connecting small businesses to corporate and real market trading opportunities, and helping them generate revenue and grow sustainably.
What makes it powerful is that it’ s not theoretical. Entrepreneurs test, learn, adapt and grow in a live environment. We focus on a bespoke approach of building commercially viable businesses: helping founders understand pricing, operations, customer engagement and scale through our Food Incubator programme. It’ s about turning passion into something sustainable and income-generating that can in turn create jobs.
What are the ways in which your model promotes inclusivity and develops practical skills for entrepreneurs? Inclusivity is not an add-on; it’ s the foundational reason the V & A Waterfront established Makers Landing. We actively create pathways for people who have been historically excluded from the formal economy, particularly women and informal traders.
Our programmes are deeply practical. We don’ t teach businesses how to cook or make their
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