Dr Tracy combined her medical training and knowledge of indigenous African ingredients to create a vegan-friendly, plant-based, low-sugar, gluten- and dairy-free ice cream. Malie’s Ice Cream is a healthy, delicious and nutritious ice cream made with baobab powder and marula seeds. Named after her first son, Malibongwe, this validates that his dreams are also possible.
We sat down with Dr Tracy to find out how her vision of creating Malie’s Ice Cream came to life.
Tell us about yourself. What are your passions in life?
I’m a girl born in a village in Venda. I came to Joburg when I was 16 to study, and I haven’t left. But I’m still properly rooted in my Venda village – I love what the villages stand for and what they’ve been able to afford us, especially because of the indigenous knowledge they have been quietly keeping without any remuneration.
There is a gap in African raw indigenous ingredients that hasn’t been explored enough, especially when it comes to food and that’s where my passion lies. I am passionate about medicine and healing people in terms of the nutrition food has, and at the same time healing our sense of self-worth because I think that’s important. Not only for us, but for future generations.
How and why did you get into the ice cream business? How did the idea to create a vegan-friendly, plant-based, gluten -and dairy- free ice cream come about?
My first-born was six months old when he started experimenting with food, and the one thing I always said no to was ice cream. Sadly, there really wasn’t anything out there that was delicious and also had nutritional density. That’s when I decided I was going to make him ice cream. The interest in and exposure to African indigenous ingredients that I grew up eating (i.e. marula nut and sorghum) led me to remember the delicious taste that was similar to cashews and pistachios.
The trend of making your own nut milk sparked an interest in me and I tried it. Once I was able to accomplish doing that, I thought to myself: “What else can we do with this milk?” I then started experimenting with nut milk and thought of ways to make it more nutritious. I decided to add baobab and it turned into magic – it created structure, creaminess and added a velvety texture. I then thought of how I could make it tasty but less sweet and also add more protein and fibre.
Our products aren’t just focused on veganism, they encourage a flexitarian diet, eating more plants and enjoying vegetables overall. We also wanted to make our ice cream affordable for most people, and not just a niche market.
Who or what is your greatest inspiration and how did you incorporate this into Malie’s Ice cream?
My two sons who I love equally, and my grandmother. My first muse was my son, Malibongwe. I have a grandmother who is in her early 80s and is not in good health. She has non-communicable diseases and has really tried everything to be in better health but hasn’t always known how to do that. I look at her and she makes me want to change the world. If I had known what I know now, things would be different for my grandmother. She inspires me to want to do better for my family, for my country and continent. I feel that the relatability of using indigenous African ingredients makes it easier to encourage others to consume them too. I want my children to have a future where non-communicable diseases are not their lot. I also don’t want them to grow up as kids who are very restricted in terms of what healthy snacks they can have. At the end of the day, I feel that it’s about indulging well.
What were the biggest hurdles and obstacles you faced in your entrepreneurship journey? How did you overcome them?
I think that the one thing a lot of entrepreneurs might resonate with is the entry to markets being a big challenge. We were very blessed in that when we started, I used to go to a lot of vegan markets and the feedback from the one-on-one conversations I had with the consumers was great. That helped with the development of the product and gave us enough confidence to feel ready to play with the “big boys”. Now that we’re growing and listed in one of the big retailers, the one obstacle I have is letting go of perfectionism and trusting other people to do other jobs well because I can’t do everything by myself anymore. My team is small but I’m blessed to be working with people who know what it is that I’m trying to do and are equally passionate about what I’m trying to achieve.
Please take us through your creative process when inventing new flavours.
We started with vanilla, salted caramel and chocolate because those are the flavours I enjoy. All the flavours are inspired by my muses and what consumers are currently enjoying. My passion is helping people eat delicious food that’s also healthy. I listen to what people really like and see what’s trending. As much as people are committed to the classic ice cream flavours, being innovative and coming up with new and different flavours is exciting and people are usually open to it.
Do you have any exciting plans for Malie’s Ice Cream? Perhaps some new flavours?
Without giving away too much, we are currently working on a lot and are so excited! We’re not only working on new flavours but also on new lines that we’ll be launching soon. We are still committed to keeping the same ethos of the brand – the nutritional density, social responsibility and pride in local indigenous ingredients will always translate to the new lines.
What would you say to other entrepreneurs who want to start their own business but might be a little scared to take the plunge?
Being an entrepreneur is tough, but if you really believe in your dreams and passions you just have to start. Remember, we live in a world where if you don’t do it, someone else will. You’ll never have the perfect business plan and have the perfect time. And, what’s perfect anyway?
Malie’s Ice Cream range is available in selected Pick n Pay stores and independent retailers.
Follow Dr. Tracy on Instagram: @maliesicecream