Content Team 
Wanatsha Mokgwathi is a passionate food blogger from Gaborone, Botswana. Her blog, Wanatsha .M is one of the best food blogs that showcases Botswana’s cuisine on a national scale. Since its inception in 2017, it has been recognised by CCOVIDHQ Africa, Mmegi and the World Bank Blog4Development, where she made it to the 2019 Top 5 finalists. Besides influencing consumer buying decisions, her days are spent educating people on financial literacy because financial freedom and money management are her daily mantra. On days she does not volunteer her time, Ms. Mokgwathi indulges in calculated risks, exploring different revenue streams and constantly reading about ways to grow herself into a force to be reckoned with in the next few years.
As a Standard Chartered Futuremakers alumni, she exchanged profound skills with her peers and facilitators, such as leadership, teamwork, financial planning, and emotional intelligence among others. Wanatsha has incorporated these skills in the daily running of her businesses and hopes to continue sharing these skills with others and, in turn, learn from them too.
Her blog has won her features in multiple newspapers and magazine articles like COVIDHQAFRICA, Mmegi and the World Bank Blog4Development, where she made it to the 2019 Top 5 finalists. Her latest achievement has been starting up her Donut Studio with inspiration from her Food Blog “@w.donuts”. Expansion is definitely brewing and new products are being launched.
Wanatsha looks forward to scaling “w.donuts” into Africa’s finest and first donut franchise, a Pan-African exclusive franchise, through opportunities opened up by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
WHEN DID YOU FIRST VENTURE INTO FOOD BLOGGING AND HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
I have always been a foodie. But I started writing about it, blogging in 2017. In high school, my friends and I would go on dates to Wimpy and Nando’s. Then, with our vasity monthly allowance, we upgraded, and I just wanted to tell people about delicious meals I had experienced at restaurants or cooked myself.
IS THERE ANY MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE THAT INSPIRED OR MADE YOU REALISE YOU WERE MEANT TO BE A FOOD BLOGGER?
Definitely. I think now, looking back, I remember I used to take cooking classes in primary school. I have vivid memories of making my parents their first ever dish from me, and it was soup. My mother is also a very good cook and I grew up eating delicious meals prepared by her and learned much of my cooking skills from her and my late aunt too. Food has always intrigued me from a very early age. I grew up watching cooking shows too, I still do. So, I think I have always known or rather, had a feeling I may end up in the food industry. I was just never sure what exactly I would be; that one was IP to God.
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND YOUR BRAND OR BLOG NAME? WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION?
I just wanted to be and express myself and my personality. So I just stuck to my name.
WHICH AREA OF CUISINE CONTENT DO YOU COVER AS A BLOGGER?
- Secret Shopper (used to gather information on customer service, food and beverage quality in establishments for quality control purposes)
- Food Critique Product/Store Marketing Product/Store Feedback Product Launch
- Menu Tasting/Review Menu Design
- Food Photography
- Menu Development
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER NEWLY EMERGING FOOD BLOGGERS AND VLOGGERS IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY?
Be authentic. Do what you want to do, express it how you see it in your head, and then you will figure everything out as you go. So just start right now with what you have.
