Sowetan-based women-run family biscuit business fuels growth, innovation and job creation through collaboration

Conza’s Biscuits, run by a mother and daughters, teams up with Tiger Brands to scale up and supply major retailers and franchises

Since 2004, Conza’s Biscuits, a proudly South African, all women-owned business, has been delighting communities with its handcrafted vanilla biscuits. Founded by entrepreneur Constance Chauke and incorporated in 2017, it is now managed by her daughters Rirhandzu and Rhulani Chauke.

The Chauke sisters say the business is rooted in a passion for quality, family, and community. Guided by their inspiring vision “The epitome of handmade goodness, touching the hearts of people worldwide with our delicious vanilla biscuits,” Conza’s Biscuits has become a trusted name in the local baking SMME sector.

The business was founded by Constance, a single mother, who started baking to provide for her family. With just five baking pans in her small kitchen, she managed every aspect of the business from baking to packaging and selling. Her first customers were neighbours and commuters at busy taxi ranks in Protea Glen Ext 11 in Soweto, where she sold around 100 to 150 biscuits a day. What started as a humble home-based venture quickly grew into a community favourite through word of mouth.

From those modest beginnings, the business has grown into a fully registered and award-winning SMME now operating from larger premises in Midrand and employing 16 people from surrounding areas like Tembisa, including youth and TVET students gaining workplace experience. Conza’s supplies a wide network of large retailers, service stations and resellers across South Africa.

The ongoing growth and sustainability of Conza Biscuits has been supported by Tiger Brands’ Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) initiatives focusing on emerging and small businesses in local communities. Tiger Brands provided Conza’s with much needed manufacturing equipment and a delivery vehicle, amongst other support. “Support came where we needed it the most. We had no funds to fulfil a large franchise order, which was our biggest order to date. Support from Tiger Brands will help us attract more business, create more jobs, and innovate more using Tiger Brands products,” says Constance.

In addition, a partnership with Tiger Brands’ Golden Cloud flour brand allows Conza to access high-quality products and ingredients for its operations affordably. “Collaborating with Golden Cloud has improved the quality of our biscuits.”

Looking ahead, the Chauke sisters say the family is focused on continuing to innovate and grow their business while maintaining the quality and integrity that customers have come to expect. “