Local bakery Crispe Cookies has supplied cakes and other confectionery to the Shoprite Group for 28 years – and it has almost doubled its staff capacity in the last five years from 50 to 97 due to its ongoing relationship with the retailer.
Crispe Cookies founder Wesley Horstmonn says the limited edition Easter cupcakes produced for Checkers has enabled them to hire four more employees this month.
“Easter and Christmas are always important days for us, and it allows us to come up with something exciting and unusual outside of our normal range,” says Horstmonn.
For Easter 2022, the company is supplying Checkers with two unique limited-edition cupcake designs to fit with the Easter theme – mini nests, which come with speckled eggs, and mini ducks.
Crispe Cookies sells hundreds of thousands of cake-related items each year, of which roughly 80% goes to Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets.
The bakery grew 18% in 2021 despite Covid-19, and Horstmonn anticipates that they will double this growth in the next two to three years.
“I’m glad to have worked with the Shoprite Group since 1996. Over the past 28 years, they’ve supported me and ensured growth for my business by giving me access to their consumer market,” he says.
Crispe Cookies started as a dry biscuit supplier but branched into milk tarts and cakes in the mid-1990s. Their most famous cake, one that combines chocolate and vanilla, is still a firm favourite among customers and has been on Shoprite’s shelves for more 26 years.
Their latest Easter creations are now available on the shelves of Checkers supermarkets nationwide.
