Based in Gugulethu[1], Lufefe Nomjana established Espinaca[2] Innovations in 2011 and
due to the success of his enterprise, he was soon affectionally referred to as the Spinach
King. The purpose of his business venture was to raise awareness of healthy and affordable
food by offering nutritious bread and other food products made with spinach as a key
ingredient. Nomjana observed that his community had adopted unhealthy lifestyles and
eating patterns, which contributed to chronic illnesses among many in the community. He
decided to research various foodstuffs and discovered that spinach is a superfood that
possesses vital nutrients and can be used as a base for baking bread. Nomjana decided to
start his bread-baking business with a R40 (US$2) investment to buy spinach from the local
farmers and bake the first loaf of bread. His neighbour lent him an oven, where he was able
to bake 24 loaves of bread per day. In the early stages of the business, he had no access to any infrastructure to sell his bread. Click here to read full article.