Founded: 2004
Sector: Social Enterprise
Location: Ndabeni suburb of Cape Town
Website: http://khayelitshacookies.co.za/k2/home.html
The Khayelitsha Cookie Company is a social enterprise based in the Ndabeni suburb of Cape Town. The twin aims of the company are to produce the best cookies in South Africa, while empowering and improving the lives of everyone involved. The Khayelitsha Cookie Company hires previously unemployed and disadvantaged women from Khayelitsha, a township community with a high unemployment rate and numerous related social problems but also a vibrant, entrepreneurial and enthusiastic spirit. It trains them, providing them with a skill and permanent affirming employment. The company aims to give its employees every opportunity for personal growth and career expansion, while also paying them a fair wage with which they can support themselves and their families. The Khayelitsha Cookie Company is 30% owned by its staff, with dividends generated given over to a Trust Fund for disbursement. There are plans to increase this stake to 50% in the near future.
The Khayelitsha Cookie Company started out as a women's bakery project at a community centre in Khayelitsha. In 2004 the project was struggling, and it was bought by two entrepreneurs Tim Leher and Tom Fehrsen. They worked with the women involved to create a self-sustaining business. Since that time the Khayelitsha Cookie Company has gone from strength to strength, with over 50 women now employed on the baking team. Cookies made by the Khayelitsha Cookie Company are on sale in major South African retailers and are sold internationally. The Khayelitsha Cookie Company also recently entered into a partnership with CIRO one of South Africa's largest coffee and beverage companies, this partnership has allowed the company to further expand its baking team.
Awards and Prizes
- Afrigrowth Institute 2010 Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise Award Winner
- Runner Up 2010 Small Business Awards hosted by Cape Talk and Softline Pastel!
Contact
Address: Unit 9, Gateway Park, Berkley Road, Ndabeni, South Africa
Tel: 021 510 2300
Fax: 021 510 2302
Email: kcc@khayelitshacookies.co.za
Website: http://khayelitshacookies.co.za/k2/home.html
To download a more in-depth report on the Khayelitsha Cookie Company case study mapping its sustainable development and poverty alleviation impacts please follow the link below:
