What started as a struggling small business bought for just R1 has transformed into an international success story for the Khayelitsha Cookie Company.
The Cape Town-based business, led by partners Adri Williams and Eunice Nyobole, has secured more than R1.4 million in export deals with two UK companies, opening the door to major international growth.
One of the agreements will see the company’s products served onboard British Airways flights, while the second focuses on supplying private-label shortbread products to the UK market.
The deals were facilitated through the UK Trade Partnerships Programme, an initiative funded by the UK government to help developing countries grow exports through trade agreements. Under the Economic Partnership Agreement, around 95% of South African goods can enter the UK market tariff-free.
The Khayelitsha Cookie Company produces baked goods for major South African retailers including Checkers and Clicks, as well as local airline Lift.
Beyond baking biscuits, the women-owned company has built its reputation around community upliftment and job creation for women from marginalised communities in the Western Cape.
For every 1,000 cookies sold, one worker is reportedly able to support between five and seven dependents within her family or community.
Williams joined the company in 2007 after leaving her corporate career and later purchased the struggling business in 2013 alongside Nyobole, taking on roughly R2 million in debt in the process.
Despite competing against machine-produced products, the company still bakes its cookies by hand. Williams previously revealed that it takes the business 40 days to produce what automated factories can make in a single day.
Today, the company bakes between 82,000 and 108,000 cookies daily while continuing to prioritise employment over automation.
In 2024, the business received the National Community Award at the South African Small Business Awards, further cementing its place as one of the country’s standout entrepreneurial success stories.