Treats by Us-Knysna

Treats by Us is very well known in the Knysna area, and this year they earned a Gold award for their Millionaires fudge. The judges were thrilled to judge this product, and we were eager to learn more about this unique company.

Please tell us when your company was founded and some of its history.

Treats by Us - Knysna was started in October 2018 to earn additional income, but quickly became something very different! Our eldest daughter, Keira-Leigh (Kiki), became truly interested in what we were doing, how we were doing it and wanted to get involved with the making and baking.

Kiki suffers from Severe, Atypical, Complex, Drug-Resistant Petit-Mal Epilepsy. Basically, she can have a seizure every 20 seconds on a bad day. As a result of her Epilepsy, Kiki is going to find it very difficult to have any sort of “normal” career, so we decided that this would be a means for her to generate her own income. We are now running the business with the help of Kiki and her sister Kendra.

Kiki has decided that her dream is to open a little shop and be able to employ other special needs people who would not be able to get work due to their disabilities and help them gain independence through her little shop.

Please tell us about some of the unique features of your company.

We are a family-run business, meaning it’s Kiki and Kendra and Mom and Dad that develop, test, make and bake every product. Mom and Dad handle the marketing, development, purchasing, hot ingredients and heavy equipment whilst Kiki and Kendra handle testing, making, packaging, etc.

We do everything together at Treats By Us, and we have fun doing it.

What do you think are some of the unique products you have?

Our Millionaires Fudge is most definitely unique! It is made using Cream, Sugar and Butter as opposed to using chocolate, condensed milk, etc. We pride ourselves on the incredibly precise measurements and very specific timing of the process of making our fudge. We have had numerous flops and many failed attempts to get it where it is. So much so, that it took 4 full years to perfect!

Other products we make, such as our Sweety Puffs and Chocolate Clouds, are a little more forgiving but taste absolutely heavenly! They require a bit more refinement before we enter them into the Aurora Taste Challenge, but, we are well on the road to doing just that.

Please tell us what is unique about your production/manufacturing process, and your philosophy around this.

Whilst everyone strives for perfection, we take that a step further by using multiple different methods of ensuring the timing is perfect for every batch of product we make. A difference of 10 seconds means the difference between perfection and a product that we would not even give away!
The method we use, in combination with the timing, is so incredibly precise, and we watch the process like hawks.

Our philosophy around this is that if it’s not good enough for our exacting standards, it’s not good enough to be given away. We simply will not compromise on anything other than sheer perfection.

What do you think is your distinct advantage or reason for your success?

We’d have to say it’s our love for what we do. So much of what we do involves being together, in each other's company and having fun whilst creating and making products that it is more a case of spending quality time together than it is about making products for sale.

That, and the sheer decadence of the products we make seem to be our recipe for success.

What is the consumer demographic of your products, and what feedback are you getting?

The largest demographic would be people from all walks of life, ranging from around age 20 to around age 50. Secondary to that would be the over 50s, with the younger generation coming a close 3^rd. We suspect that the largest demographic are those folks with a desire to try something new, something different, willing to take a chance on something new.

The older generation seems set in their expectations and seem a bit more reluctant to venture into the “unknown”. Having said that, our products get so many good reviews that it’s a very close match between the largest and second-largest demographic.

The feedback about our products is overwhelmingly positive. We are incredibly proud of the fact that those who have tried our products almost always have something positive to say about them. Of course, we are also realists and understand that people have different tastes and whilst we do try to accommodate as many people as we can, this is not always possible.

How do you see your company or product on the global stage?

Currently, we are focussed locally. In time, we do hope to reach a global audience, but we are taking things slowly to perfect our craft first. Once we’ve accomplished that, we will branch out nationally and if that proves successful, then we’ll look at the global market.

Our philosophy is that we have to build a strong foundation before we can grow and whilst that foundation is, indeed, coming along, it is still going to be quite some time before we look internationally.

Contact details:

Contact person: Doné Else

Email Address: sweets@treatsbyus.co.za

Contact Number: +27 (0)83 661 8657

Website: https://www.treatsbyus.co.za

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treatsbyusknysna/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treats_by_us/