The family that founded South Africa’s most famous biscuit company

This company is behind some of the country’s most popular treats, including Zoo cookies, Provitas, Romany Creams, and Mini Cheddars.

Although biscuits are a popular snack today, they weren’t always sweet, colourfully decorated with miscellaneous zoo animals, or even tasty.

As ship-building techniques changed and the European population grew during the 18th century, biscuits became important naval provisions. In 1750, the first “ship biscuits”, also known as “hard tack”, made their appearance.

The age of exploration turned into the age of colonialisation, which meant that voyages were longer. Although ships took fresh food wherever they could find it, sailors primarily relied on preserved meat and ship biscuits.

These biscuits were essentially a hard, flat, and long-lasting bread. Since moisture makes baked goods spoil quickly, ship biscuits were also made very dry.

Unsurprisingly, these biscuits were renowned for their inedibility. They were so indestructible that some sailors even used them as postcards.

A few things started to change biscuit-making. The slave trade Britain established in the 1600s in the West Indies and America made sugar much cheaper and more widely available.

Cooking technology was also evolving, and more people started baking biscuits at home. As tea became entrenched in the British social scene, biscuits went from a dessert course to an integral part of afternoon tea rituals.

It was during this biscuit boom, in 1851, that baker Johann F Baumann docked in Durban with a vision, and he established Baumann & Co., a food manufacturing company.

In 1877, while in London, JF Baumann accidentally met his nephew, Johann ML Baumann. His family had accepted that JF Baumann had died years ago. He had no idea that his nephew even existed when he met him.

The two remained in close contact, and in 1880, JML Baumann and his wife travelled from London to Durban, where he joined his uncle’s business.

Creating a biscuit empire

JML Baumann wanted to update the baking part of the business. At the time, the technology they had available in South Africa was still pretty primitive.

Fortunately, the Baumanns scored a victory in 1883, when one of their competitors imported the first ship biscuit-making machine to Durban, but couldn’t figure out how it worked.

The Baumanns had a knack for technology and were quick to snap it up and operate it with great success. Soon, they were producing South Africa’s very first machine-made ship biscuits.

In 1885, they debuted the first version of the now-famous Marie Biscuits, which was made possible after they imported their first “fancy biscuit” machine. In 1911, they rolled out the first Tennis biscuit.

The Baumann business fell on hard times during the First World War. When anti-German riots broke out in 1915, the Baumann bakery and office were burned down due to their German name.

After rebuilding, the business changed its name to Bakers to avoid unwanted associations. The war did, however, accelerate the company’s growth, driven by demand for wartime rations.

In 1918, the next generation of Baumanns, William and Otto, opened a Bakers factory in Cape Town. Three years later, another factory was established in East London.

In 1923, Bakers acquired Barrett’s Model Bakery, which was run as a wholly owned subsidiary. This was also the year the company’s “Little Man” image first appeared on its packaging.

The image, which features an apron-wearing grocer holding a box of biscuits, would go on to become an iconic symbol for the business.

During the 1930s, South Africa was gripped by the post-war depression, which brought flour shortages, food rations, and other setbacks for businesses.

Although consumers continued to support Bakers, the company was forced to innovate new baking and production methods. They also installed a printing plant and established their own flour mill in Congella.

In 1935, the Provita was born, and by the end of the decade, Bakers had 240 product lines, 200 employees and a 56% share in the bread trade. After World War II, the company had increased its production by 77%.

In the 1950s, Bakers expanded to the Transvaal, establishing a warehouse in Isando in Kempton Park. During the 1960s, they also opened a factory in the area.

The 60s were a time of innovation in the industry, and saw the introduction of multi-coloured wrapping.

Bakers encountered a challenge during the 1970s. Until then, biscuits had been transported by train, but they kept getting damaged in transit.

Their solution was to purchase a fleet of pantechnicon trucks. It wasn’t long before these now-famous trucks became a familiar sight on roads between Durban and Johannesburg.

In the 1990s, the company developed the Bakers® brand. Using CGI technology, Bakers brought the “Little Man” to life in a series of iconic Bakersman TV commercials, along with the “Bakersman can” jingle.

In 2014, Bakers launched into the Breakfast category with its Good Morning Breakfast biscuits.

Today, after more than 170 years in business, Bakers is one of South Africa’s most recognisable brands and a staple in many households.