Echoing the words of Mike Abel, Alet Venter says that the brand is the promise you make, and the product is the promise you keep. “In short, the quality of the product is the core of what we do,” she adds to explain the driver behind the business’s success. Tannie Alet, as she is affectionately known, has become a household name, one that is often found in pantries and kitchen cupboards.
Alette’s Rusks started 30 years ago in her home kitchen. “I baked the traditional mosbolletjie ‘boerebeskuit’ breads for my husband. This sourdough recipe is a family recipe that my mother, Deborah wrote down on the back of an envelope,” she reminices.
In the later part of the 90s, Alet’s husband, Henri Venter, encouraged her to continue baking the special farm-style rusks he loved so dearly. “Soon after his retirement, we joined forces. We invested his retirement monies in an industrial oven, a mixer and employing our first two staff members,” she explains. “We then had to move from the home kitchen to the garage where my new appliances were located.”
Allette’s Rusks started to take shape, and as an official business, she had to grow her market access beyond the friends and family networks she relied on up until that point. “The first store I supplied was Piekfyn tuisnywerheid, a local home industries shop. Slowly, I managed to enter a few independent stores.”
Since then, she has built this business on the back of kindness, uncompromising quality, and grace.
Alet from Alette’s Rusks on Growth and Success
Today, Alette’s Rusks is a brand in its own right, one that speaks to quality and taste. Venter is the Chief Baking Officer who ensures her factory runs smoothly and in tip-top shape.
“We are very proud to supply over 1 200 stores, nationally across all the major retailers. We are available nationally in all Dischem and Baby City stores, as well as in Makro. In the Great North regions, you can find our rusks in Checkers and in PnP stores north of Bloemfontein. Furthermore, you can also find us in various home industries and smaller convenience stores, as well as through our online shop.”
Yet, Venter is humble in her business’s immense success and attributes its achievements not to herself but everyone who has helped the business grow. “Its success isn’t because of me, it’s because of all the friends and family and staff that have made it possible for us to keep on growing. We are incredibly proud of all the people that have helped us along the way.”
It also goes without saying that South Africans’ love for a delicious rusk has been a key factor in the brand’s success.
“Looking back over the years, the biggest highlight of my business journey is having my family and friends share the journey with me.”
Venter notes that reaching the heights that Alette’s Rusks have is not without its challenges. “Growth is hard, uncomfortable, but tenacity is key. Just keep doing what you do best.
Venter had no real aspirations of wealth and prestige or running a big business. But becoming a business owner had certain perks, such as financial freedom and the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends. Not to mention that the excitement and adventure of independence was liberating!
She gladly shares that other aspiring small business owners must remember to measure everything – a tip that is both handy in the kitchen and financial management. “My advice for other small business owners is to focus on your financial health and the quality of the product. If you get these two right, the rest takes care of itself.”
The Recipe that Works
Dedicated staff that grow with the business is indeed the secret ingredient to Venter’s brand. However, the extensive product line has a few ingredients that make her products stand out on shelves.
The two main product categories are the Bran and the Mosbolletjie/Sourdough rusks. Bran refers to the ingredients that help the dough rise, which is baking powder. The sourdough, on the other hand, uses a fermented culture starter of flour. This category contains flavours such as aniseed, wholewheat and buttermilk. Within the Bran product range, flavours include coconut, cranberries, buttermilk, aniseed, choc chip, sesame, bran, sunflower, pecan and all-bran.
Recently, the With Love and Butter™ range was launched. It is a premium range that speaks to bespoke tastes. The two flavours that are currently available are Almond and Honey, and Meusli.
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