The case examines how Wonderbag, a sustainable innovative cooking model founded by Sarah Collins (Collins), a South African social entrepreneur, contributed towards eradicating poverty and empowering women across Africa and the Middle East. The case opens with a discussion on Collins’s journey toward becoming a social entrepreneur. Collins spent much of her school years challenging apartheid. She started her entrepreneurial journey by establishing the first community-based safari company, Planet Okavango. She then established a commercial retail business called Natural Balance Global. The case then explains about how Collins came up with the idea of the Wonderbag. In 2008, when South Africa was experiencing power cuts and rolling blackouts, Collins had a eureka moment. Wanting to cook without energy, Collins recalled how her grandmother had surrounded her pans with cushions to keep them cooking even after turning the stove off. She started experimenting with heat-retention cooking and came up with a convenient, modernized model called the Wonderbag in 2008. It turned out to be an empowering solution for affordable and safe cooking practices for women, particularly in rural communities, while at the same time creating income generation prospects for them. Next, the case discusses the advantages of using the Wonderbag. The Wonderbag was saving lives which were being lost due to smoke inhalation, combating deforestation, and providing time for women to work and generate an income and for children to go to school. Subsequently, the case reflects on the Wonderbag’s initial success and its expansion across the world. Further, the case discusses the business model of Wonderbag. The business model for Wonderbag was economically inclusive, besides its social and environmental attributes. Furthermore, the case reflects on the impact of the Wonderbag. As of 2018 end, Wonderbags had supported over 500,000 women to generate an income, either by selling or making the bags or by using the Wonderbag to cook with as part of their catering businesses. The case then talks about the challenges Collins faced in growing her business. Last, it discusses the future of Collins and Wonderbag. Using the Wonderbag as a catalyst, Collins was working on 2030 Sustainable Goals. Against this backdrop, it remained to be seen whether Collins would be able to empower communities across the globe, help them come out of poverty, and improve the lives of rural women globally through her inclusive and innovative business model.

Leadership and Entrepreneurship Case Studies | Case Study in Management, Operations, Strategies, Business Environment, Case Studies

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Issues

The case is structured to achieve the following teaching objectives:

	Analyze the process of development of a social venture.
	Analyze how a brand with purpose can build its business in the mainstream business.
	Identify critical prerequisites for the implementation of an inclusive business model.
	Create a roadmap for scaling up Wonderbag.
	Examine management challenges and organizational issues faced by inclusive firm in its growth and evolution.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

COLLINS’S EARLY YEARS – THE FOUNDATION TO BECOMING A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

AN INCLUSIVE BUSINESS MODEL OF WONDERBAG

Keywords

Wonderbag; Sustainable innovation; Sarah Collins; Social entrepreneur; South African Business; Wonderbag Foundation; Inclusive Business; Female Entrepreneur; Eradicating Poverty; Scaling Up Business

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