The women at Khayelitsha Cookies might come from poor backgrounds, but they know a thing or two about running a successful business.
Khayelitsha Cookies was established in 2005 at the Mfuleni Training Centre by an American, Alicia Polak.
The business employees women who cannot read, write or speak English and they are taught how to bake cookies – by hand.
Today, the bakery with 87 employees has relocated to Beaconvale in Parow, where they bake thousands of cookies every day.
Most of the employees still can’t read, write or speak English.
Adri Williams, managing director and co-owner of Khayelitsha Cookies, says she joined the business in 2007 and bought it in 2013, taking on R2.5 million in debt.
“What takes us 40 days to bake, takes a machine one day. [But] if I have to replace my women with a machine I would be down to employing 12 people and increasing my output three-fold per day, so that is the real job creation that we do,” Adri explained.
The staff have a 30% share in the business, in a trust fund which is set up so the women can benefit when the company does well.
“We often ask the women after they start working here, what’s the biggest thing that changed in your life, and we always get the same answer: ‘I can put food on my table tonight where previously I couldn’t’,” Adri said.
Part of the success story is that every December, when they receive a large number of orders, they allow the staff whose children are 17 years and older to work as paid interns for the month.
Adri added: “The reason I am so passionate about that is because the skills levels that you train and the jobs you create versus just looking at the finances.”
“We also have an incentive where we pay the staff for a full day once they reach the stretch target.”
However, one bad sales month will take the business seven months to break even again.
Khayelitsha Cookies pushes out 80 000 to 102 000 cookies per day and has over 100 lekker family recipes such as cheese straws, rusks, brownies, cookies as well as a kids range that includes teething biscuits.
The company has collected more than 15 awards over the years including the Western Cape Productivity Awards, Premier’s Entrepreneurship Recognition Awards, Best Product Supplier in South Africa and Africa in the cookie industry to name a few.
Noluvuyo Nekemfu, 39, from Philippi has been working at Khayelitsha Cookies since 2013 and is still very happy.
“I was working for another bakery and since working here, I have gained a lot more knowledge. Khayelitsha Cookies has helped me a lot because I can provide for my family now. I have seven people depending on me and I am able to help my mom and dad in the Eastern Cape,” she added.