Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the Maitland headquarters and fulfilment facility of TSF Group, spotlighting a Cape Town-born biotech company that’s helping position the city as an emerging global hub for advanced manufacturing, biotechnology innovation, and high-value intellectual property.
The visit focused on the operations of TSF Group, the founder-led company behind The Lab and GoodBasics, established and led by entrepreneur Jo Farah. Operating from Maitland, the company develops and manufactures proprietary probiotic biotechnology products that are exported to more than 65 countries worldwide across fashion care, apparel care and environmentally conscious home care.
What began as a local startup has evolved into a globally distributed biotechnology business representing a new generation of Cape Town companies competing within some of the world’s most sophisticated consumer and retail markets.
Cape Town-developed biotech is reaching global markets
Welcomed by Farah and senior leadership, the Mayor toured the company’s innovation, manufacturing and fulfilment operations, including probiotic product development, R&D, formulation, production, packaging and international dispatch.
At the centre of the visit was the company’s proprietary probiotic biotechnology formulations that use beneficial bacteria and enzymes to break down dirt, stains and odours at a microscopic level. Developed in Cape Town, the technology represents a highly specialised intersection of biotechnology, sustainability science and consumer manufacturing.
Founded in Cape Town in 2012 as Sneaker LAB, The Lab has evolved into a globally recognised biotechnology-driven fashion care company. Its globally distributed products have led to collaborations and partnerships with international brands including Nike, Dior, New Balance, Karl Lagerfeld, Puma and Fila, placing Cape Town-developed biotechnology within some of the world’s most influential fashion, retail and consumer ecosystems.
The business has since expanded through GoodBasics, applying the same probiotic principles to environmentally conscious home care solutions across laundry, kitchen, bathroom and surface care categories
Advanced manufacturing and skilled local employment
The Maitland facility currently employs more than 45 full-time staff across biotechnology R&D, manufacturing, quality control, fulfilment, customer experience and marketing, alongside approximately 40 casual fulfilment workers. Seven new roles have been created over the past year as the company continues to scale internationally.
Speaking during the visit, Farah said Cape Town had played a central role in shaping the company’s global trajectory. “Everything we’ve built started here in Cape Town. The biotechnology, the manufacturing, the team, the intellectual property, it’s all been developed locally and scaled globally from this city. For us, the opportunity has always been bigger than creating products. It’s about proving that South African innovation can compete globally in advanced manufacturing and biotech while creating meaningful local jobs and skills in the process.”
Investing Back Into the City That Built It
Alongside its commercial growth, TSF Group continues to invest in environmental and community initiatives rooted in Cape Town.
Independently Green Tag certified, the majority of The Lab’s product range is 100% biodegradable, reinforcing the company’s commitment to combining innovation with environmentally responsible manufacturing. Through its partnership with PSFA, the company contributes toward feeding programmes supporting schoolchildren across the southern suburbs, while ongoing collaborations with Sentinel Ocean Alliance include community coastline clean-ups and environmental awareness initiatives.
The visit concluded with a media briefing and photo opportunity on the manufacturing floor, reinforcing the broader role that founder-led, innovation-driven businesses can play in strengthening Cape Town’s reputation as a globally competitive centre for biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and export-led innovation.
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