We sat down with local entrepreneurs, Will Pearson and Connor Lumsden from Venero Pizza. If you haven’t heard of them before, well, I think you should know their sourdough pizza will give you abs! That’s right, you heard it here. Let’s get to know them better, shall we?
The Maker and The Marketer
Will, 19, crafts amazing sourdough bases, and Connor, 26, does the media and digital marketing. They have known each other for a very long time, having been part of the same church and Bible study group, and now they’re business partners.
Behind the Name
Will said he spent so long trying to come up with a name, with Pearson Pizza as an option, but eventually chose Venero Pizza. Coming from the Latin word ‘venerate’, which means to honour something, Will says, “I guess that’s the whole point of the business, to honour pizza, and make the best pizza we can on the North Coast.”
Getting Into It
During lockdown, Will’s dad started making pizza whilst he was homeschooling. With a bit of time on his hands, he learned how to make pizza from his dad and started selling it. “My dad has been a big help; he has given me a lot of advice, so I give a lot of credit to him. He even lets me use his garage for free.” When Will first started, he would sell about 10 plain bases a week. The pizza started to gain traction, so they got in touch with Cookin Stores at the Lifestyle Centre because they sell Gozney ovens. “They wanted a pizza that was going to fit their brand, like a high-quality, real food kind of thing. They let us use their ovens, which is what boosted us,” says Will.
Behind the Fun…
… is the crazy. Ever get excited when you get a call back for an event, and then reality sets in. (insertJaws theme song). Will and Connor got a call to the Ballito Pro just over a week before the event! “Luckily, I found and trained two people to come and make them in the garage (which I have converted to a kitchen), while I was at the Pro. Many people helped me out, and it all came together really well,” says Will.
The Process
According to Will, making a sourdough starter – which they affectionately call ‘Cyril’ since it was created during lockdown and has become part of the team – is quite easy. If you’ve seen their website, you’ll know exactly what I mean. The process includes a lot of mixing, feeding, kneading, and then fermenting the dough for two days. They now make about 100-150 sourdough bases a week, and if they’re busy, then about 200. Will explains, “The dough is cold-fermented for 48 hours, giving the flavours time to deepen, which is why it tastes good.”
Memorable Experiences
When asked about some of the experiences along the way, Will says, “I had a lot of ‘dough-sasters’, like the dough overfermenting in the fridge when it’s loadshedding, it’s like a dough explosion in my fridge.” Connor adds, “There was this one event where it was raining and the fridges were short-circuiting, and I had to go out there at about 4:00 a.m. to fix it, returned home, then woke up again at 6:00 a.m. to go sell pizzas all day.”
Kitchen Vibes
Of course, music is a must when cooking up a storm. Connor mentions that there’s some overlap with their taste in music.
“We take turns to play music,” Will adds. “Sometimes he plays heavy metal, and I just want to leave. And then I play country, and then he wants to leave. Haha. But we don’t bicker over it.”
Pizza Toppings
Right now, they offer plain and margherita options on their websites, as it’s easier to freeze and you can have more fun adding the toppings of your preference; but at events, like pizza parties and weddings, they have a list of exotic toppings. “I’ve tried to keep everything basic, and the ingredients speak for themselves. I’ve used the best cheese from The Gourmet Greek from the Midlands, and the sauce is basically just tomatoes and oregano herbs. We have an exotic toppings list: bacon, strawberry reduction, blueberry, camembert, fig jam, prosciutto, rocket, biltong, and feta.”
A Vision for Venero
Their goal is to enable others to replicate their business with the same product and model they have now, “Having a Venero Pod that can be franchised and replicated. So we’d empower people like me to start their own pizza business that’s simple to run, makes good money, and is fun,” says Will.
Advice for Startups
“Sometimes it feels like eating glass, but you just have to eat the glass (keep going). There’s no quick way to be successful; we’re still building this business. But yeah, if you have an idea, give it a try, and if it doesn’t work, what’s the worst that could happen? Rather not have regrets.” But something that scared him from starting a business was the saying ‘One in 10 businesses succeed,’ although he believes that the reason for this is that people just give up.
How to Get the Goods?
You can find their pizza atVida Water and Riveraine, or order via their website. And don’t forget to follow their socials for exciting updates!
www.venero.co.za
Get 10% off your order on their website by using the code FabMags. Valid till end of January, 2026.
WORDS: ELVIDA SYDNEY
