In the world of sports, Gareth and step-brother Calvin may not have been star players, but their spirited battles on the rugby field provided much entertainment for the family. This was due to the fact that they were in opposing teams from rival schools - Gareth was at Bishops and Calvin at Rondebosch!

However, sports were never going to be the arena where they would make their mark. Despite not being sport or academic standouts in school, post-graduation, Gareth Anderson (2014,O) and Calvin Davis (2014 Rondebosch OB) would embark on a journey that would eventually lead to the establishment of a successful business. Gareth had this to say:

I would later in life find myself to be a true nerd at heart with a deep passion for business, technology, economics, science, and politics, all but business and technology, things I had no interest in at school.

Life after school

After Gareth completed a Bachelor of Business Administration in Brand Building and Management at Vega in Cape Town, and Calvin a Bcom in Strategy at Varsity College, they both found themselves at a crossroads.

With some guidance from their business-savvy father who was already in the industry, they initially went into the seafood wholesale business. Armed with their fresh degrees and a keen understanding of technology, the brothers decided to take a bold step:

We decided that we would launch South Africa’s first online direct-to-consumer seafood store in Cape Town. With a focus on what customers wanted at home and delivering quality that wasn’t available in the supermarkets, we put together our first range and packaging and off we went delivering ourselves in cooler boxes out of our small cars for the first two years whilst running and growing our online store at the same time.

Growing in Business

As Caught Online gained momentum, the COVID-19 online boom provided a significant boost. Riding this wave, the brothers secured their first round of investment, leading to the establishment of warehouses in Cape Town and Johannesburg, an expanded team of eight full-time staff, and the extension of their services to Durban.

It isn't just about business success; it's also about making a positive impact.

During and after the COVID-19 epidemic, the company collaborated with a Cape Town-based charity called One Bag Full. This partnership resulted in the donation of three meals for every order, totaling over 73,000 meals to food-insecure children in the Langa area.

The Bishops connection runs deep.

Besides the founders, two other school friends from Bishops have played crucial roles in the company's growth. Daniel Toy (2014K), a Bishops OD with a Business Science degree, initially joined during the COVID-19 pandemic and later transitioned to become the Financial Director. Seamus Murphy (2014F), another OD, contributes his artistic flair to the company, handling graphics for the website, advertising, and emails, while also playing a strategic role within the business.

Reflecting on his journey, Gareth acknowledges the Bishops vs. Bosch rivalry that has permeated his life:

My whole life it seems has had elements of Bishops vs Bosch within it, my Dad, Anthony Anderson was a Rondebosch boy and my Grandfather on my mother's side Anthony Malan (1961,O), and my Step-dad Christopher Hathaway (1988F), were Bishops boys as well as my uncle,  Julian (Chip) Malan (1994,O), on my mom’s side.  She was Jocelyn Malan before marrying Christopher.   It would remiss of me not to also mention all the Malan cousins who are Bishops boys.  Thomas, James and Daniel are all at school and Matthew Malan (2023,O) has just completed his matric year. To top it all, I started my schooling career at Rondebosch Junior School and then completed high school at Bishops!

This rivalry and competition are quite analogous to life and business in that competition often serves to challenge us to be better, to do better, and to strive for more continuously, and in that regard, I think it prepared me well for business.

I’ve grown to love my competitors because without them I would have no reason to keep pushing for improvements, market share, and everything else that goes along with that.

[With thanks to Gareth and Calvin for providing us with all the details for this interesting article.]

Should you like to find out more about Caught Online, CLICK HERE. 

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