By: Natasha Archary
A Limpopo-based company has introduced tinned chicken feet and necks in a can. The South African staple food can now be found at Shoprite stores.
Eiren Drake and his late grandfather Spencer Drake, started a canning plant in Tzaneen in 2017 and launched the company during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The 26-year old shared that he was introduced to chicken feet as a youngster and the meal quickly became a firm favourite of his.
Popularly known as “walkie talkies”, chicken feet are a common street food and South African snack. Prepared in multiple ways, Drake’s product, tinned feet now brings convenience to the South African market.
In a statement on the retailer’s website, the businessman said, getting his small business off the ground was hard, especially after the passing of his grandfather.
“As a small business owner and my very first engagement with formal retail in the corporate space, it has been an absolute honour and great privilege to work under the guidance of the Shoprite team. They haven’t just had a significant impact on the future of our small business, but rather, Shoprite has become the future on which the existence of our business is now based.”
Eiren Drake
The tinned feet and necks have already hit supermarket shelves in Limpopo, the Eastern and Western Cape.
After careful thought, Drake decided to package both chicken feet and necks to give the mass market access to good quality protein.
He shared that remote parts of the country still struggle to source staple foods such as gizzards, chicken hearts, heads, as well as feet and necks.
Drake has a 3-year exclusive deal with the Shoprite Group to supply the retailer with his canned products.
Thomas and Skhumba in the Morning weighed in on whether the product is a good or bad idea:
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