You have noticed how Sally Williams Finest Honey Nougat tempts you at practically every till point in every decent retailer in South Africa?

Sally Williams retired from her eponymous business and enjoys the fruits of this remarkable local success story in exotic travels. The company is now in the hands of her son-in-law, Mark Sack, a marketer to his core, and who has astutely guided it from cottage industry through to a commercial business.

Sally Williams’ nougat hails from a factory to match its lofty brand values. Custom-built, the 2 500m² premise is superb in its product flow, environmental controls, HACCP-standard design and hygiene and most striking on first entry, the glossiest of epoxy floors, more operating theatre than food factory. This is four moves upwards and a long, long way from the kitchen where, in 1997, well-known chef and foodie, Sally Williams began experimenting with a nougat recipe she discovered while on a culinary excursion to Tunisia. Early success saw her move her production into her double garage and, but two years later, into a proper factory in Kramerville.

Why has Sally Williams’ nougat – with nougat not exactly a new concept – been so successful? ‘We started out, and still do, by offering the public either what they haven’t been offered before, or something special. And we’ve backed this by building a very strong brand, one that shouts class, quality and exclusivity,’ replies Sack. ‘But at the very nucleus is a brilliant product – there’s no denying our nougat is a really fantastic eat; one bite and people are hooked. To make top-class nougat, you need top-quality ingredients that are as fresh as possible, and this is something we never scrimp on,’ he stresses.

Ahead of the game

Nothing is that simple or easy and, Sack notes, that where Sally Williams led, there are now at least 14 followers in this country. In this competitive arena, the Sally Williams’ team works hard not only in ensuring good distribution and availability, but also keeping the brand fresh with new packaging and product ideas, with the Sally Williams’ range available in numerous permutations and always in beautiful packaging.

‘Constantly building and strengthening the brand is very dear to my heart and, such is its strength, there are also plenty of opportunities to trade on it outside of its niche in the confectionery sector – but never losing our core focus,’ comments Sack.

Innovation is not only what the consumer sees, and the factory end of the business is constantly evaluated for improvements.

Sack reports that well-known confectionery technology consultant, Ron Timm, has been invaluable in elevating production to ‘more scientific’ levels, and there’s also been capital investment in technology. This includes ultrasonic cutters which are a boon when dealing with such a sticky product: no smeared, compressed or ragged edges; a clean cut even through hard nuts; and cutting blades that are largely self-cleaning. ‘This has allowed us to do things with the product we’d never thought previously possible,’ says Sack.