Hard work pays off. We say it all the time. But Celestino Mbiri actually lives it.
If you have spent any time around the Westrand or Randburg hospitality scene, chances are you already know the name. Celestino Mbiri is one of those people who just gets it. Dedicated, punctual, and genuinely passionate about his customers, he has a way of making every person he deals with feel like they are his only priority. He is a problem solver, a people person, and someone who will always find a plan. But what makes his story really worth telling is how he got here.
None of it was handed to him. Every single bit of where he is today was built from the ground up, one step at a time.
He Grew With The Company
Back in 2014, Celestino joined Core Catering Westrand as a storeman and driver. Not sales. Not management. Stock and deliveries. And his very first challenge? Learning the products. In his own words: “My challenge was knowing stock, especially glasses. I didn’t know each glass had a name.”
So what did he do? He got stuck into receiving and GRV-ing stock until he knew the range inside out. From there he started answering calls, then assisting with processing orders and quotations, and eventually made the natural move into sales. Each step was intentional, each skill built on the last. That kind of progression does not happen by accident. It takes curiosity, consistency, and a willingness to go beyond the job description. Celestino had all three, and every step forward was earned, not given.
Then things got really tough.
Two branch closures. Being uprooted and relocated to the Randburg store. And then, on top of settling into a completely new environment, taking on the responsibility of managing the entire Westrand region internally, by himself, from Randburg. That is a significant amount of accountability for one person to carry, and a true reflection of the trust that Core Catering Supplies places in him.
And then COVID-19 hit. The hospitality industry took one of its hardest knocks in living memory, and Celestino felt every bit of it. New branch, new region, and a global pandemic dismantling the industry he had spent years building relationships in. Most people would have crumbled under that kind of pressure. Celestino kept showing up, kept pushing, and came out the other side stronger. Because that is just who he is.
R1 million. In a single month.
After everything. After the closures, the relocation, the pandemic, and the daily challenge of competing on price while managing an entire region solo. Celestino hit R1 million in sales in a single month. It is the kind of milestone that does not just reflect a good month. It reflects years of learning the stock, building genuine customer relationships, and refusing to let setbacks define the outcome.
And what did reaching that number do for him? “Reaching more than a million gave me more confidence, and every month I keep pushing for more.” He did not celebrate and coast. He used it as fuel. That mindset is exactly what separates good salespeople from great ones.
His advice? There is no ceiling.
Ask Celestino what he would say to someone just starting out in sales and he does not overcomplicate it. First, know your product. Not just enough to describe it, but well enough to genuinely advise your customers. That knowledge is the foundation everything else is built on. And second, back yourself. “There is no limit in sales, especially when you have a trusted backup like Core Catering. You can keep pushing and growing.”
Coming from someone who started in the storeroom and worked his way to managing an entire region and hitting seven figures in a month, those words carry real weight. From storeman to top sales performer. From Westrand to Randburg. Celestino Mbiri is living proof that hard work really does pay off and we couldn’t be prouder to have him on the Core Catering Supplies team.
