THE first day of Spring, 1 September is a very special day for Zululand’s most beloved confectionery. This is the exact date, 30 years ago, that Sugar & Spice first opened its doors.

The tiny cake shop in Empangeni’s Game Centre was the first of four branches founded by then owner Marietjie van Deventer. Zululanders soon discovered this gem and, with the support of
the community, Marietjie was able to grow her business to four shops and three bakeries over the years, including Chatterley’s Cakes & Cookies in the Sanlam Centre, and Sugar & Spice at the Central Park shopping centre, Five Ways Mall and Meerensee Mall.

In 2018 Marietjie sold the businesses to her sister-in-law, Louwret Kraftt. Louwret says she strived to run the business on the same sound Biblical principles that it was built on – and this has been the cornerstone of the business’ continued success.

Despite the economic plunge, load shedding, Covid-19 and the devastating looting in which Chatterley’s was completely destroyed, Sugar & Spice braved the storms and by the grace of God, was able to go from strength to strength.

“We got up again, dusted ourselves off and moved on,” says Louwret.

With a lot of prayer and hard work, the shop was renamed, revamped and reopened. The
new shop was dubbed Sugar Shack Bakery, a beautiful, floral and fresh take on the previous bakery.

New beginnings

A year ago, Louwret decided to take another leap of faith when she opened a new Sugar & Spice branch in the Lakeside Mall in Richards Bay.

With the help of her son and daughter-in-law, the store was transformed into a warm and welcoming coffee shop, where shoppers can enjoy a cup of coffee and delicious slice of cake while shopping for a sweet or savoury treat to take home. The new branch has done so well that Louwret has moved her Meerensee shop to the Lakeside Mall branch, merging the two.

“It is hard work to run four shops, each with its own unique character and clientele,” admits Louwret.

Sugar Shack is very popular for its delicious pies, while the firm favourites at the other three shops include their famous ‘Dermskrapers’ rusks, Amarula cake, old fashioned milktart and carrot cake.

“Each one of our shops has its own unique clientele with their own tastes and preferences – and we strive to cater to them all, providing our customers with the delicious, fresh and top quality products that they love.

“We pride ourselves in using only fresh products, with no artificial ingredients or mass produced pre-mixes,” Louwret says.

She lauds her staff for their loyal support throughout the years.

“Some of our staff have been here for more than 20 years. My oldest employee is Tannie Tickey (80),” she says, adding that her team of trained bakers are the backbone of Sugar & Spice.

“Without my bakers, I wouldn’t have had a confectionery.”

Louwret thanks her customers for their support for the past 30 years.

“I truly rely on the support of the community. Thank you for your feedback and comments, helping us to perfect our products. Thank you also for your patience and understanding, especially during load shedding!”

Louwret invites the public to visit Sugar & Spice on 1 September for a special birthday celebration.