How to Turn Culture Into a Sustainable Business

Commercialising culture can be one of the sustainable ways to preserve culture. Whether you are interested in having a business based on local heritage, indigenous knowledge, community or family traditions, or cultural arts, it’s crucial to create a framework for how your business will operate. Over the years, we’ve seen a rise in thriving businesses that were born from the desire to not only preserve culture but to create economic opportunities from systems and knowledge that have existed in communities and families for generations. A few examples include Setšong tea crafters, which is a 100% Black-owned company that crafts herbal tea infusions using untapped indigenous plants. Another business is Pheko PM Group, a biotech company that addresses the urgent need for accessible and culturally relevant health solutions. Their business integrates indigenous African plant medicine with modern technology.

If you’re building a business around your heritage, you are not selling culture as a direct product. However, culture is the motivation behind the product. For instance, Setšong tea crafters sell tea as the product, but culture is part of the process behind making the tea. It’s the reason what you’re selling actually matters. Culture is what gives that product weight, and it’s the reason someone will happily pay more for it than for a generic version sitting on a supermarket shelf. You need to identify what culture is, in your own words. Then, use that to identify the product. Once you know your product, you must establish how the product expresses culture in a way that the market can understand.

To build a solid, long-lasting brand, you need to create a framework. Before you spend a rand on branding, sort out these three things.

• Sourcing: Where does the raw material, knowledge, or skill actually come from, and who holds it right now?
• Production: Decide early whether you’re keeping traditional methods intact or modernising them. Both are valid, but they lead to very different businesses.
• Distribution: You need to find out which channels will be used to distribute your product. Which markets, community stockists, and specialist retailers do you plan on tapping into.

This is the part people skip when they’re excited about their idea, so let’s slow down here. If you’re building a business around indigenous knowledge that isn’t solely yours, you owe something to the community it came from, not just to your investors, and not just to your bottom line. A heritage story sells well to consumers who want to feel connected to something authentic. However, it’s crucial to ensure that the community that originated the knowledge sees the benefit of you turning culture into a business. To protect your business, follow these steps:

• Put formal benefit-sharing agreements in place.
• Get documented consent from the indigenous knowledge holders.
• Ensure a percentage of profits or ownership goes back to the community.
• Understand that these are not optional extras. They are the foundation of an ethical business.
• Read South Africa’s Protection, Promotion, Development and Management of Indigenous Knowledge Act to understand how indigenous knowledge should be recorded and protected.
• Review guidance from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) if you plan to operate beyond South Africa.
• Do this groundwork early. Skipping these steps can create legal, ethical, and reputational problems as your business grows.

Pricing can be challenging for businesses built around cultural products because much of their value comes from specialised knowledge, skilled craftsmanship, and time-intensive production rather than raw materials alone. Businesses should calculate prices that cover:

• Materials.
• Labour.
• Packaging.
• Marketing.
• Distribution.
• Overheads.
• Fair compensation for artisans, producers, or knowledge holders where applicable.

This creates a more sustainable business model and helps ensure everyone involved in producing the product is compensated fairly. If customers are unwilling to pay prices that support sustainable production, businesses may need to review their target market, product positioning, or marketing strategy rather than automatically reducing prices. SME South Africa’s pricing guide provides additional guidance for businesses developing pricing strategies.

Heritage-based businesses often benefit from maintaining strong relationships with the communities connected to their products. Community engagement helps businesses:

• Receive feedback on new products.
• Ensure cultural practices are represented accurately.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration.
• Strengthen credibility with customers.

These relationships can also improve decision-making. Community members may identify potential concerns with product names, branding, storytelling, or marketing before they become larger issues. Building these relationships takes time but can contribute to stronger businesses over the long term.

Like any business, companies built around cultural products benefit from having multiple revenue streams. Diversification in your business can reduce reliance on a single product while creating additional growth opportunities. Examples include:

• Educational workshops.
• Guided cultural experiences.
• Corporate gifting.
• Licensing agreements.
• Consulting services.
• Online learning programmes.

Each new offering should support the business’s original purpose rather than move it away from its cultural foundation.

Document Your Knowledge and Business Processes

Many businesses rooted in culture rely on knowledge that families or communities have shared for generations. Oral traditions remain important, but writing down business processes makes it easier to manage daily work, train staff, and prepare for growth. Your business records should include:

• Product preparation methods.
• Supplier information.
• Sourcing practices.
• Quality control procedures.
• Harvesting methods.
• Agreements with partners and communities.
• Business policies.
• Operating procedures.

Documenting this information does not replace oral traditions or cultural practices. Instead, it helps the business continue if key people retire, leave, or are unavailable. Good recordkeeping also supports funding applications, partnerships, legal compliance, and succession planning. If your business applies for grants, funding, or B-BBEE verification, accurate records can make the process easier.

Businesses that use indigenous knowledge or cultural heritage do not have to grow on their own. South Africa has universities, research institutions, innovation agencies, and business support organisations that work with entrepreneurs in sectors such as agriculture, biotechnology, tourism, manufacturing, and biodiversity. These partnerships can provide access to:

• Research expertise.
• Product development.
• Laboratory testing.
• Business support.
• Business incubation.
• Funding opportunities.
• Market access.

For example, Pheko PM Group combines indigenous African plant knowledge with scientific research to develop healthcare products. The business shows how traditional knowledge and scientific research can work together to create commercial opportunities. Before sharing knowledge or starting a project, businesses should sign clear agreements with research partners. These agreements should explain intellectual property ownership, confidentiality, benefit sharing where needed, and each party’s responsibilities. Setting clear expectations from the start helps protect everyone involved and supports stronger long-term partnerships.

Building a business around cultural heritage often requires investment in product development, equipment, manufacturing, certification, marketing, or exports. South African entrepreneurs can explore funding from government programmes, development finance institutions, private investors, grant programmes, and enterprise development initiatives. Before applying for funding, make sure your business has:

• A clear business model.
• Financial projections.
• Market research.
• A clear value proposition.
• Legal documentation.
• Accurate financial records.

Most funders assess commercial viability and operational readiness before making investment decisions. If your business uses indigenous knowledge or works with communities, you should explain how knowledge holders are recognised, how benefits are shared where appropriate, and how cultural heritage is protected. Businesses with good governance and responsible business practices are often better prepared to attract funding and strategic partners.

Revenue is an important measure of business performance, but it is not the only way to evaluate success. Other useful measures include:

• Customer growth.
• Repeat customers.
• Jobs created.
• Income generated for communities or producers.
• Sustainable sourcing.
• Customer satisfaction.
• Brand reputation.
• Long-term profitability.

Businesses should also consider whether they continue to represent cultural traditions accurately and respectfully as they grow. Resources such as UNESCO’s work on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage offer useful guidance for businesses that want to preserve cultural knowledge while supporting sustainable development. Reviewing both financial performance and social impact can help businesses make better decisions as they grow.

Markets change and so do customer expectations. Regulations also change, which means businesses that continue learning are better prepared to respond to new opportunities and challenges. This can include:

• Attending industry events.
• Joining business development programmes.
• Building relationships with cultural organisations.
• Monitoring changes in legislation.
• Collecting customer feedback.
• Training staff.

Continuous improvement helps businesses strengthen their operations while staying true to the cultural values that inspired them.

Turning culture into a sustainable business requires more than a unique product or a compelling story. It requires careful planning, responsible sourcing, good governance, and respect for the communities and knowledge behind the business. Businesses such as Setšong Tea Crafters and Pheko PM Group show that cultural heritage and commercial success can work together when supported by strong business systems and responsible practices. Entrepreneurs who build strong business foundations, protect indigenous knowledge where appropriate, develop strategic partnerships, and create fair value for everyone involved are better positioned for long-term growth. By treating culture as a long-term asset instead of only a marketing tool, businesses can create economic opportunities while helping preserve and promote South Africa’s rich cultural heritage.