The ultimate sweet treat, a chocolate coated biscuit, and not just any biscuit, an all time SA favourite – Romany Creams, Tennis Biscuit, Ginger Nuts and Eet-Sum-Mor.
These balls of pure enjoyment hit the shelves in mid 2008, and since then their growth and success has been phenomenal. Walking into the Bakers factory in Pinetown there is an atmosphere of secrecy in the air. This is where it all happens, where my favourite tea time treats are baked to perfection, by the Bakersman.
From the waiting room, where the rich history of Bakers emanates from the walls, which was established in 1851, I was led through to the office, or rather to the laboratory. A stark paradox from the tradition Bakers exudes, the lab of this secret lair, is very modern. This is the research and development headquarters, where every crumb has been tried and tested before put out onto the market in the form of Bakers Balls.
Hayley Morgan,group NPD manager, told me all about the development of what is fast becoming one of SA’s favourite confectionaries. ‘Confectionary was an area we could easily go into and dabble in,’ she said. The inspi rat ion for the sweet balls came from the marketing department who is situated in the Johannesburg head office – the think tank of this operation. Looking at store shelves, it was noticed that despite being in the midst of a recession, small and affordable treats were more popular than ever.
Creating some of the most scrumptious biscuits on the market, Bakers is first and foremost a product of indulgence, and this decadence couldn’t be more appropriately symbolised than in one of its classics, Romany Creams. So, in an effort to stretch this indulgent product into confectionary, the R&D team began their experimenting. ‘The process of panning is new for us, but it is not new to other companies and therefore does not set us apart in any way. Similar to most companies, in the R&D process we start with a concept and follow it through the development processes into factory trials and then the launch’, said Morgan.
‘Panning is quite a simple process,’ she said ‘but not worth our while investing in the machinery just yet, so we outsource the panning of the product, along with ingredients like the chocolate.’
Morgan goes onto to point out what sets Bakers balls apart: ‘There are certainly other panned products on the shelves in both SA and abroad, but what they don’t have are the biscuit recipes that we use. What makes the product unique is that they are made from the original recipes for the biscuits.’
Bakers’ biscuits are indeed special. The team is made up of a group of biscuit technologists. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it possible. There are indeed people that have truly dedicated their lives to the biscuit. And thus, the rest of the Bakers mystery is unravelled.
Not too sure of what she was going to do after school, Morgan had a keen interest in maths, science and biology and so completed a National Diploma in Food Technology, and then whilst working obtained a National Diploma in marketing and sales management.
All aspects of the product were focused on at the Westmead R&D labs, just so that trade secrets couldn’t get out. Crystal Naidoo worked on packaging development, whilst Marcia Naidoo and Katleho Mochekele also biscuit technologists, who helped to develop the product.
‘The marketing team entered the product into the NPC due to the fact that it was a venture into the confectionery area with our other strong brands’, says Morgan. And on hearing they had won, Jeanne Rosenberg, head of marketing at Snackworks was astounded, ‘We never thought we would win’ she said.
Hailed the ultimate test in cross branding, Bakers have succeeded in what most big brands seldom do, brand cross over. Bakers’ rich history in baked goods has already stood the test of time, so introducing a new product and the risks that come along with this is not new for them.
‘It is important to have attention to detail and a passion for the job,’ said Morgan. ‘You need to have an ability to think out of the box and to be willing to try anything. You need an analytical ability to problem solve successfully. You also need to be able to work under pressure while keeping your sense of humour’, she went onto to say.
And it is this sense of humour and fun that certainly wooed the judges of the NPC this year. With names like Eet-Sum-Mor Balls, who can’t help but smile, and then smile some more once having experienced the taste.
