“Being supported by the Graça Machel Trust to showcase my product at a regional stage such as SIW was incredibly affirming. It showed that rural businesses like ours can compete globally, and it tells young women back home that their ideas can travel far beyond the village.” – Robyn Brown, Manager of All Things Last Lap.

For Robyn Brown, Manager of All Things Last Lap, the 8th SADC Industrialisation Week (SIW 2025) in Madagascar was more than a business opportunity, it was a moment of visibility and validation. With the support of the Graça Machel Trust, she was able to present her products to regional leaders, policymakers, and investors, carrying with her the pride of rural South Africa and the determination to prove that women-led enterprises can thrive on global platforms.

Robyn Brown, Manager of All Things Last Lap which she runs with her mother, Verda Brown and part of Graça Machel Trust’s Fair for All projects, showcases their products during the 8th SADC Industrialisation Week in Madagascar.

The story of Last Lap began in Nyarai Village, Haga Haga, Eastern Cape, with two beehives left by Robyn’s late grandmother. What started to honour her legacy has since grown into a cooperative producing raw honey, chilli sauces, garlic products, and dried herbs. Today, Robyn runs the enterprise together with her mother, Verda Brown, the founder of Last Lap, combining tradition, family, and innovation to create a brand with global ambitions.

Graça Machel Trust’s Director of Programmes, Shiphra Chisha (left), engages with Verda Brown (right), founder of All Things Last Lap, during the product showcase at another one of GMT’s events.

At SIW, Robyn joined a panel of entrepreneurs and sector leaders to share solutions for building inclusive value chains. For her, the experience underscored the importance of unity and collaboration: “What inspired me most was the unity and shared vision. Entrepreneurs, innovators, and policymakers came together with a real determination to uplift our economies through regional trade, innovation, and inclusive industrialisation.”

Through the Trust’s Fair for All project , Robyn  and her mother have gained access to training and connections that positioned her business for the next stage of growth. At SIW, she met investors interested in socially driven African brands, gained insights into export certification, and began exploring partnerships with GIZ to improve packaging, food safety, and compliance.

Her participation embodies what the Trust envisions when it supports women entrepreneurs: businesses that begin in rural communities finding their place in regional and international markets. As Shiphra Chisha, Director of Programmes at the Graça Machel Trust, explained:

“When women entrepreneurs like Robyn take the stage, they don’t just represent their businesses, they shift mindsets. Visibility on platforms like SIW connects them to buyers, investors, and policymakers, helping transform them from small-scale producers into value creators, exporters, and market leaders.”

Robyn and Verda are focused on following up with investors, refining their export strategy, and scaling production to meet international demand. Yet their story is about more than contracts and markets it is proof that rural women’s ideas, when nurtured and supported, can become enterprises that carry local heritage onto the global stage.

With support from the Graça Machel Trust Fair for All project, All Things Last Lap is proving that rural women’s ideas can spark industries — transforming local heritage into honey and chilli products that create jobs, inspire youth, and reach international markets.

Robyn Brown (right), Manager of All Things Last Lap and Graça Machel Trust’s Fair for All project participant, pictured at the 8th SADC Industrialisation Week in Madagascar with Shiphra Chisha (left), GMT Director of Programmes, and Ramokone Sannah Kwakwa (centre), Women Creating Wealth participant.