Rishav Juglall (supplied)
Firm manufactures, supplies cleaning products
Rishav Juglall is the entrepreneur behind Rocky Brands, a business that has created 48 employment opportunities.
Based in Midrand, Rocky Brands manufactures and supplies high-quality cleaning products to retailers across SA.
In 2022, Juglall’s business was named Pick n Pay Business Supplier of the Year. And in 2023, his company secured R15,7-million in blended funding from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
The IDC, an entity of the trade, industry and competition department, drives job creation through industrialisation and supports businesses owned by black people, women and youth to build a more inclusive economy.
“The funding helped us to buy more equipment, and that enabled our production process to be mostly automated, saving us money and time and contributing to the well-being of our employees because they work less overtime to meet deadlines,” explained Juglall.
The investment also allowed Rocky Brands to upskill staff to operate the new machinery and warehouse equipment, while bulk stock purchases have reduced input costs.
Juglall, who holds a qualification in marketing and economics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, identified a gap in the market for affordable, quality cleaning products.
Inspired by his mother’s struggle to find reasonably priced products — including a cleaning agent for her glass-top stove — he launched the business 15 years ago.
Its main manufacturing plant operates from Riversands in Midrand, supported by distribution depots in Durban and Cape Town.
In 2011, when Juglall was just 22, he had a vision of transforming the cleaning products sector in SA.
“At the time, I could only find an Australian import, and it was expensive. I then found Weiman products on Amazon, and the reviews were very impressive. I reached out to the brand and sealed a deal to supply South African retail stores with Weiman products, and that’s how I started my business,” he said.
His company became the sole distributor for Weiman products in SA at the time, supplying major retailers.
The company began manufacturing approximately 90% of its products in-house from 2016.
“The shift to local production not only supports the South African economy but also gives us greater control over the quality and sustainability of our offerings,” Juglall said. “We were one of the first black-owned businesses in SA to supply Woolworths with cleaning products from 2023.”
Today, Rocky Brands manufactures and delivers cleaning brands including Goo Gone, Orange, Wright’s, Weiman, Earth Friendly, Magic Eraser and Clean Start. The company supplies Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Spar, Checkers, Bidvest Prestige, Supercare and House & Home, among others. — GCIS‘s Vuk’uzenzele