Sally Williams is amongst one of SA’s finest exports. Roxanne Rolando took a tour of the Johannesburg-based factory and spoke to Mark Sack, managing director of Sally Williams, about indulgence in times of recession.
Sally Williams Fine Honey Nougat, based in Johannesburg, has entered her teens with grace. Having turned 13 this year, there’s not one blemish on this perfectly groomed SA export. Now sold in Australia, Canada, Japan UK and the USA, the honey nougat is experiencing steady growth despite the economic climate.
Sack says, ‘Sally Williams nougat are small luxuries that are affordable. I think we are less affected by the recession because confectionery is about gifting – to yourself, to your friends – small comforts in hard times.’
The secret recipe was discovered by Sally Williams, Mark Sack’s mother in-law, on her travels in Morocco. As a gourmet chef and the headmistress of a cookery school in Johannesburg for 28 years, Sally has always had a passion for recipe hunting, says Sack.
It took six months of sweat and toil to perfect the nougat recipe, which uses all natural ingredients. From working out of her kitchen, then her garage, the production now takes place in a factory in Linbro Park, Sandton. Sack recently added Belgian confectionary machinery to the factory, which specialises in various chocolate applications.
Along with the new machinery comes new product development. Sack says, ‘In the past twelve months, we've launched a fabulous milk chocolate-coated Turkish delight, as well as our first fruit variant, cranberry and almond. We've also added to our chocolate nougat range by producing chocolate-infused nougat. There are also some very exciting new developments hitting the market in the next two months or so.’
The factory, which gained HACCP accreditation on 1 June this year, has the essence of a home kitchen but on a much grander scale. Despite the extremely hands-on approach, production is fluid and of the highest standards, says Sack. ‘We dare not compromise,’ he emphasises, ‘this won’t be true to the brand.’ He goes on to say, ‘With the right standards you don’t need to use SA as an excuse. The product has got to be world class in every aspect.’
Sack says training his staff is integral as expensive ingredients are used. Not only this, the nougat is made from a combination of glucose and honey that are heated to extremely high temperatures before adding the perfectly whipped egg whites. Once this mixture is ready, the staff have to work extremely fast before it sets. ‘Someone can’t just walk in off the street and make nougat,’ reiterates Sack.
Sally Williams continues to impress locally as well as globally, having won three prestigious international Great Taste Awards in the UK this year. The cliché, a recipe for success, certainly stands true for this hand-made confectionery, and steady expansion of the South African business just goes to show that a little sweet satisfaction, no matter what the economic climate, is always necessary.
Mark Sack on HACCP accreditation for a small to medium South African business
FRV: What does it mean having achieved HACCP certification?
MS: Credibility in foreign and local markets.
FRV: How long did it take to secure the certification?
MS: Too long! Jokes aside, the HACCP programme was never given proper focus until we employed a full time QA manager. Once she started, it took about two years.
FRV: What did you go through in order to achieve the certification?
MS: Generally raising levels of commitment to the process from everyone at Sally Williams, and the understanding that once achieved, there is no turning back from continuous improvement.
FRV: Could you tell me about Sally William’s recent achievements, did HACCP have anything to do with it?
MS: We're very proud to announce that we recently won three prestigious awards at the Great Taste Awards in the UK. The award proves our products are world class in every aspect.
FRV: What are Sally William’s future plans?
MS: With a lot of our new product development being about entrenching our place as leaders of the nougat category, we have plans to branch into other categories at a later stage.
