How RIYP Became South Africa’s Fastest-Growing Exporter

How do you turn debt and risk into global growth?

In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Uzair Essack, founder of Riyp one of South Africa’s fastest-growing exporters in agriculture and logistics. From being a million rand in debt in his early 20s to building a business that ships fresh produce across the globe, Uzair shares the raw realities of scaling under pressure. He opens up about why he risked his last money to fly to Qatar in search of opportunity, how he reinvented the exporter–farmer model, and why he believes outsourcing beats in-house hiring for scale. This is a masterclass in resilience, strategy, and spotting opportunity in tough markets.

We dive into:

• How Uzair went from R1M in debt to exporting globally

• The leap of faith that changed his life in Qatar

• Why the old export model was broken and what he built instead

• The power of outsourcing vs. hiring internally

• Lessons from scaling one of SA’s fastest-growing exporting company

This episode is packed with lessons for founders about risk, resilience, and building scalable systems that last.