By: Tebogo Mokwena
When Neliswa Chigudu was diagnosed with depression, she decided that the solution for her was not to take medication, but to change her entire outlook on healthy living. She realised that to have a healthy mind, she also needed a healthy and balanced lifestyle. But it was even more difficult to achieve this balance because of the demands of the corporate sector, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone and produce a cereal.
Chigudu, who is the author of four books, is also the founder of Tachibo Suppliers and Logistics, a company that was registered in 2011 but started trading in 2018. Its flagship product is an easy to prepare cereal that Chigudu created in response to her depression. She told Vutivi News that the cereal, which was SABS tested and approved, was wholegrain and contained no preservatives nor additives, and was naturally sweetened. It does not require additional sugar or milk and can be mixed with water only.
According to Chigudu, she was diagnosed with depression in 2014, and decided to embark on a journey of alternative healing. “I personally am not a fan of medication, although I am not advocating against medicine,” she pointed out. “I went on a journey to discover what type of foods can help heal different types of conditions. “I discovered that for me, I needed to go another route which did not have me depending on medication. So, I went on a course and learned about the eight natural laws that helped me with my health condition, and these include nutrition, exercise, sunlight, water, air, rest, temperance, and trust which speaks to what one believes in spiritually,” she said.
Chigudu said that before going to market, she tested the cereal on herself. “Constipation went out of the window, my mood improved, my skin became clearer and I felt more energised,” she said. “I put it on a trial run and gave it to a few people and they too started reporting a positive change before I started selling it in 2021.” Chigudu told Vutivi News that while most of her clients were based in Johannesburg, people from across the country bought the cereal.
The cereal was also sold at two health shops in the city, but due to the lockdown, she no longer supplied them. While Chigudu advocates her cereal as a health alternative to other products, she has had a few challenges. “One of the challenges I wrestle with regularly is getting complaints from people that it is too expensive,” she said. “The cereal is not low-market, and because of the health benefits and the fact that it was tested and approved, it is not priced like other cereals in the market.” However, her plan is to have her product on the shelves of health stores throughout the country next year.
