Top 10 Social Entrepreneurs Pitch to Food Lover’s Market With Ecovado Among Leading Finalists

Ecovado founders: Hulisani Mabugana and Hulisani Mudau. Image supplied

This was after the top 10 social entrepreneurs attended a bootcamp week in Cape Town, and an intensive day of pitching to a panel of Food Lover’s Market executives and specialists.

Gontse Selaocoe from All Day Jam, and Minnie Brink from Miracle Meel were also announced in the top 3 at the end of the Fertile Ground Pitch Day.

Co-founded by husband and wife team, Hulisani Mabugana and Hulisani Mudau, Ecovado was created to solve a very real challenge facing many avocado-growing communities.

In parts of rural Limpopo, avocado trees are found in almost every household, making it difficult for small-scale farmers to sell fruit locally. Lower-grade avocados, which may not meet fresh market standards, are often left without a sustainable route to market.

Ecovado saw the opportunity to create value at source by transforming South African avocados into high-quality avocado oil and other innovative products.

By processing avocados close to where they are grown, the business is helping to reduce waste, support local farmers and create employment opportunities for men and women in the village.

“Ecovado is more than a food business. It is a vehicle for rural economic development and empowerment,” says Hulisani Mabugana, co-founder of Ecovado.

“Every bottle represents the hard work of local farmers, workers and communities who believe in creating value from South African agriculture. Our vision is to transform avocados into opportunity, prosperity and lasting positive change.”

The Seeds of Change programme was created by Food Lover’s Market to support emerging South African food entrepreneurs with the potential to become more sustainable, scalable and retail-ready.

The 2026 cohort took part in an intensive bootcamp in Cape Town, where the entrepreneurs received guidance on business development, product refinement, retail readiness, pitching and growth.

For Hulisani, being selected as the 2026 winner is both a personal milestone and a signal of what is possible for rural entrepreneurs.

“As an entrepreneur from a rural community, there are many obstacles to building a manufacturing business. This recognition confirms that our vision has value and potential. It brings hope to our village community that their jobs are safe and that more employment can be created through this opportunity,” says Mabugana.

Through Seeds of Change, Ecovado will receive further support to help strengthen its business for the next stage of growth. This includes mentorship, retail insight and guidance to help improve packaging, branding, quality systems and customer offering.

It also means that Evocado will soon be available in Food Lover’s Market stores.

Andrew Millson, Food Lover’s Market’s executive for People and Sustainability, says Ecovado represents exactly the kind of business Seeds of Change was built to support.

“Seeds of Change is about backing entrepreneurs who are building businesses with purpose and practical impact,” says Millson.

“Ecovado is a powerful example of how local food innovation can reduce waste, create opportunity for farmers, support rural manufacturing and bring proudly South African products closer to consumers. This is the kind of enterprise development that has the potential to change lives beyond the shelf.”