Abstract

The case discusses the social entrepreneurship initiatives by Alicia Polak in South Africa. Alicia Polak, who was an investment banker with Merrill Lynch and Company in New York, started a small business venture in the slums of South Africa. The venture was not started as a charity but as a profit generating business. With very little initial investment, Alicia employed women from the neighborhood and taught them how to make high-end cookies, and that was the beginning of Khayelitsha Cookie Company (KCC). She marketed the cookies in hotels and to the tourists who visited South Africa. The cookies soon gained popularity, and she planned to replicate this model in other developing and underdeveloped countries. KCC was expected to break even by the beginning of the year 2007, and the cookies were being marketed in the US and European countries.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of social entre-preneurship
• Analyze how small business ventures can make a significant difference in the lives of the poor
• Critically evaluate Khayelitsha Cookie Company’s (KCC) business model and its potential for scalability
• Study how commercially profitable ventures can be started in underdeveloped countries
• and Critically examine the sustainability and replicability potential of KCC’s business model.

Keywords

Alicia Polak, Social Entrepreneurship, Khayelitsha Cookie Company, Entrepreneurial Programs, Societal Wealth Generation, Bottom of the Pyramid, Non-governmental Organization, Community Initiatives, Philani Nutrition and Development Project, Sustainable Business, Scalability