Adam Duxbury and Joshua Meltz are absolutely in love with South Africa – and it shows! They started Granadilla Swimwear, a men’s swimwear company, to honour Cape Town summers and the ice lolly sellers on the beaches.
Swimwear is, of course, a seasonal business which presents challenges to business owners. Along with the inspirations behind Granadilla, they also shared some great advice for entrepreneurs facing this problem.
Drawing inspiration from South Africa
Adam and Joshua find their inspiration in the passion, energy and culture that radiates from South Africa. Being Cape Town natives, they have spent countless summers surfing and relaxing on the city’s beaches. In true Capetonian fashion, they’ve also spent many lunch breaks taking in the views and eating fish and chips at Muizies (that’s Muizenberg beach for those of us not in the know).
They wanted to create a product that captures the youthful feel of Cape Town summer, and being true beach bums, they decided to create some swim trunks. But these were not just any swim trunks. Their first quirky pair was inspired by the lively traders who walk across beaches selling the iconic Granadilla Ice Lolly, and can be seen being held by Tiny below.
But it’s more than just swimwear…
Granadilla is not only about creating fun quirky shorts. Adam and Joshua are committed to empowering people and bringing life to the economy. All their products are created by South Africans, in South Africa.
We don’t just make swimwear. We are not just made in South Africa. We are made by South Africa.
Their love for the country means that throughout the entire process of making Granadilla shorts, they aim to “empower, enable and uplift young South African entrepreneurs and creatives”. Their goal is that the products they design embody the environment in which they are created, and make a meaningful contribution to building the country.
The seasonality factor
Running a seasonal business can be challenging because you don’t have a guaranteed income all year round. On their quest to reinvigorate the economy (and create some funky shorts), Adam and Joshua spent a lot of time debating this topic.
Their chosen way to combat the challenge is to follow the seasons around the globe. When it’s winter in South Africa and nobody is giving swimming a second thought, they concentrate on markets in the Northern Hemisphere. This coming (South African) winter, Granadilla swim shorts will be on shelves in London and Los Angeles. Their slogan is, after all: “It’s always summer somewhere.”
It’s fantastic to see entrepreneurs sharing the spirit of South African summer and taking their creations all over the world.
Other advice they have for entrepreneurs facing the same challenge includes creating an additional product that will supplement sales during your off season, or downsizing in the winter months.
Granadilla and Yoco
Because they are a seasonal business, Yoco is a good fit for Granadilla. There is no monthly rental, meaning they only pay when they sell and do not lose money on fees in the quieter months. Joshua also had the following to say about using Yoco: “Our experience with Yoco has been great. The device is efficient and effective.”
The back end is also simple and intuitive, and the basic stats which it generates are very useful. The support has been unparalleled too.
We are excited to be supporting entrepreneurs with such vision and passion for their craft and for South Africa. There’s no doubt that Adam and Joshua are going places so be sure to follow them on Instagram. You can also grab yourself a pair of Granadilla swim trunks here.
For more information on how Yoco can help grow your business, take a look at our card payment solutions.
