A Cape Town-based social enterprise has secured its first significant foothold in the UK, with Khayelitsha Cookies signing export agreements that will see its products supplied to the UK market and served on British Airways flights.
The two deals total more than R1.4 million and were concluded with the support of the UK Trade Partnership programme, which supports exporters in accessing the British market under preferential trade terms.
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The programme allows most South African goods to enter the UK tariff-free, improving the competitiveness of local producers.
The agreements, which include the supply of private label shortbread product to the British market, mark a milestone for the business.
Khayelitsha Cookies was acquired out of distress more than a decade ago and rebuilt into a job-creation enterprise focused on employing women from underserved communities in the Western Cape.
From a handful of workers and basic equipment, it has grown into a scaled operation supplying retailers, hospitality groups and international clients.
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The company’s operations executive Tommy Williams says the agreements will allow its products to reach a broader international audience while deepening its export footprint.
“We will now be supplying two UK-based companies, with our biscuits making their way across the country and sharing the taste of South Africa,” he says.
Workers at Khayelitsha Cookies. Image: Supplied
Expansion has a ‘multiplier effect’
Khayelitsha Cookies is structured around a labour-intensive production model aimed at maximising employment rather than efficiency.
It employs women from townships such as Khayelitsha, many of whom support extended households.
According to the company, each job created supports between five and seven dependants, highlighting the multiplier effect of its expansion into export markets.
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“I had the privilege of visiting Khayelitsha Cookies’s factory and meeting remarkable women behind the business, and I was deeply inspired by their entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to their community,” says British High Commissioner to South Africa Antony Phillipson.
British High Commissioner to South Africa Antony Phillipson (right) on a visit to Khayelitsha Cookies in Beaconvale, Cape Town. Image: Supplied
He describes the business as an example of how international demand can translate into local job creation while introducing South African products to overseas consumers.
The UK agreements represent a step change from the company’s earlier international exposure, which included smaller-scale exports to markets such as the US and France.
The latest contracts are expected to support further hiring, reinforcing the company’s founding premise that commercial success can be used as a lever for job creation.
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