BY OFFERING proudly South African spices and pickles to expatriates living and working in the UK, Thanesh Moodley, son of the legendary Monty Moodley of Silverani’s, is keeping his South African heritage alive abroad.
Moodley, 46, relocated to the UK two years ago with his family, when he closed the family businesses in Durban.
After finding that there were many expats like him who could not get access to South African brands and spices, he started an online store called Silverani’s.com, four months ago, to cater to their culinary needs.
He imports spices, pickles, condiments and sweets, which are all proudly South African products.
He was the third generation owner of Silverani’s, which was founded in 1968 by his grandfather, Munsamy Kistensamy Moodley.
“At that time, the business was called Mansfield Road Fish and Chips. My father, the late Monty Moodley, had a few takeaways. Silverani's name was born in 1992. We had a store for Indian cuisine in Silverton Road in Musgrave. The name stemmed from the store being in Silverton Road and my mother’s name was Selverani.
“We served an array of curries, which included tripe, cornish, and trotters. At one time, we had five stores, in Glenwood, Durban North, Suncoast Casino, and two in Musgrave. My mom would mix her own spices. When we closed the stores, we sold it without the name,” he said.
When he emigrated, Moodley said he took his own spices with him but soon ran out.
He said he searched for spices similar to that of his mother’s, but none came close to South African brands.
“There were many options and variations of spices available. But it was not what our palette was used to.
“When friends came home they asked about the masala we used to prepare our food. I told them that I had brought the spices from my hometown, and they suggested that I should start importing and selling spices.
“I opened the online store and I am glad to say that business got busy quickly. I approached Gorima’s, as many people wanted their brand, and they came on board. We also sell Silverani's mixed spices. I airfreight the goods and all of the items are not available anywhere in the UK,” he added.
With a niche market of South African expats, Moodley said he would be adding more spices to his store.
“People had asked for popcorn spice, mother-in-law's spice, and mint chutney. I also had a host of requests for Kashmiri masala, which people go crazy for. If one places an order today, they receive the goods the next day. We make bulk orders every month so people are getting fresh products.”
Moodley said he and his family missed the South African culture and the beautiful beaches and promenades.
“Now we see the value of the products in South Africa. With food in our country, we got good value for money. Here, the portions of food are smaller as this is a health conscious society.
“It is different living abroad but what makes it easier is that they have systems that work. Their transport, education and healthcare systems are free and function at their optimum. Policing is efficient. Police don't carry many weapons but they are present. There are cameras everywhere,” Moodley added.
Although they would not celebrate the South African Heritage Day, Moodley said they were looking forward to celebrating their heritage at a Diwali celebration his family had been invited to in the UK.