Speedy Shopping

Kutlwano Hutamo has turned a loathing of grocery shopping into a thriving online business with Washesha, an express grocery store for women like her.

- Glynis Horning

Kutlwano has always been a reluctant shopper. ‘After School I did a BSc in genetics, then an MSc in veterinary tropical diseases, before branching into intellectual property. I began working at a law firm, where I started studying towards an LLB. I never had the time, let alone the inclination, to trawl malls, and I’d put it off until my fridge was empty.’

So when she signed up for an MBA with the Gordon Institute of Business Science four years ago and was asked to pitch a business idea for the entrepreneurship section, Kutlwano immediately suggested an express online grocery-delivery service.

Washesha – tagline ‘You order, we hurry’ – was conceived. And a year and a load of work later, it began deliveries. Today it speeds organic fruit and vegetables, quality meats, liquor and wines (Glenfiddich, Wolftrap), baby foods, nappies and OTC meds to time-pressed women in Joburg, Soweto, Midrand, East Rand and Pretoria. Cape Town and Durban are in the pipeline.