South Africa’s Khayelitsha Cookies secures landmark UK export deals
One agreement will see its products served onboard British Airways flights, while the other covers the supply of private-label shortbread products to the UK market.
SOUTH AFRICA – Cape Town-based artisanal biscuit producer Khayelitsha Cookies has secured more than R1.4 million (US$83,992.52) in deals from two UK-backed companies.
The deals were concluded with support from the UK Trade Partnerships programme, an initiative funded by the UK government, which aims to help developing countries leverage the UK’s Economic Partnership Agreement to increase exports, with the preferential terms of this agreement allowing about 95% of South African goods to enter the UK market tariff-free.
Business partners Adri Williams and Eunice Nyobole bought the company in 2013 for R1 while also inheriting approximately R2 million in debt.
The business has since been rebuilt from a tiny bakery into a scaled operation supplying retailers, hospitality groups, and international clients, all while prioritizing employment for women from underserved Western Cape communities.
The new agreements also include expanding its export footprint beyond earlier shipments to the US and France.
Khayelitsha Cookies’ labour-intensive model is designed to maximize employment rather than efficiency, and the impact is significant.
Each job supports five to seven dependants, a multiplier effect highlighted by British High Commissioner Antony Phillipson, who praised the enterprise as a powerful example of how global demand can drive local job creation.
Khayelitsha Cookies is among a group of local businesses supported through Wesgro’s flagship buyer programme, #MadeInTheCape, which connects Western Cape producers with international buyers and helps companies access new export markets.
Wesgro recently hosted its flagship buyer event, bringing together 35 international buyers from 17 countries and more than 230 local exporters across the manufacturing, design, film, and agri-processing sectors.
Launched in 2023, the initiative has already secured 13 signed trade deals with a projected value of R50.7 million (US$3.04M) over the next five years, underscoring the growing global demand for products made in the Western Cape.
The cookie company currently bakes assorted goods for retailers such as Clicks and Checkers, as well as airlines such as Lift, and is entirely women-owned, providing job opportunities for women from marginalized communities in the Western Cape.
For the South African food sector, the British Airways deal represents both a commercial milestone and a compelling proof of concept that township-rooted social enterprises can compete and win on the global stage.
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