In the evenings and on weekends, the streets come alive with people shopping, trading and visiting each other. Music blares, cars are washed and children use the streets as their playground. Township life is truly community based living, and it is this quality that makes this physically challenging environment, a special one.

The Spaza shop is often a central area for residents who generally do not have refrigerators, and must purchase food daily basis. It is the Spaza shop’s central position in a community that makes it a perfect point to distribute health products and indeed even as a place to distribute information and knowledge.

THE CREATION OF HEALTH SPAZAS

With the above scenario in mind, Fevertree has initiated a concept into the townships of a rather unique type of Spaza shop. The main aim of the Health Spaza is to start as it were, health shops like the health stores you find in more affluent areas of the city. Many of these health shop owners have told us that they are increasingly seeing township dwellers who prefer to come through there doors with minor ailments as the advice is free and the products are affordable (well some of them at any rate). I am sure that the rich and poor both can agree on the fact that a visit to a medical practitioner is costly, as is a visit to a Sangoma or traditional healer.

The Health Spaza saves the township dweller the trip into a shopping centre. On their own doorsteps, they now have available a shop (or a container, gazebo or ice-cream box style bicycle) that caters for the minor ailments we all suffer from such as flu in winter, the twinge of arthritis, and a biggie – male potency. Products sold, have been carefully selected according to a set of criteria, which include market related pricing and the all-important fact the products must be natural and good for our consumers.