The Eat Better South Africa affiliate program is designed to ensure that customers have peace of mind in knowing that products bearing our stamp fully support their low carbohydrate lifestyle. The programme is supported by a distinguishable team of health experts and has an extensive national and international network of game-changing ambassadors, retailers, innovators, educators and brands. All those involved are committed to changing the world.
Below we would like to share some about one of our affiliates, Gracious Bakers.
Gracious Bakers started in 2016, when Liz and Fran owned a coffee shop in Somerset West. They began getting more and more requests for Banting bread and other baked goods. Liz has a background and passion for food product development and she started experimenting with banting recipes. They also began research and development of Banting friendly products. They soon realized that there was a gap in the market for Banting Friendly alternatives. However, in order to pursue the retail industry, as well as keeping to the company ethics of preservative-free, they would need to develop a range with a longer shelf life. They soon developed a range of biscuits, dried pasta, rusks, crackers, wraps and drinking chocolate. The initial development started in their kitchen on a farm in Franschhoek. They have since moved factory 3 times and are now the proud owners of their very own factory in Wellington!
Gracious Bakers is run by a very dynamic team. They believe that it’s not as important to focus on where the bus is heading but rather getting the right people on the bus. “You can teach skills, but you cannot always motivate everyone to be as driven as you are” said Liz. Therefore they chose employees who were willing to learn and were self-motivated. Liz says their goal is to uplift their staff by empowering them to run their own departments. Their supervisor has been working with them for over 10 years, and their top baker who previously picked grapes as a season worker, is the heartbeat of the factory. Liz and Fran are self-taught jack of all areas in the business. Liz handles the accounting, marketing, invoicing, operations and Fran oversees the sales, logistics and dispatch of orders. They have a small but dynamic team and all members play an integral part in the company.
We asked asked Liz why they chose to join the Eat Better South Africa affilate programme, she said “We want to be recognized as a trusted brand and know that people want to see a stamp of approval in order to make a decision upon buying a product for the first time. We know that by being endorsed, our customers will trust that our product is approved for their dietary needs. We also love the work that is being done to reverse the effects of diabetes within our communities and the education they offer for eating better and for the future of generations to come”
They believe that the LCHF lifestyle is going to dominate the market in the future. The food giants have stripped so much from the food they consume and made it so unnatural that people now have become extremely sick and sensitive to what they used to call food. After this pandemic settles, most people will be more aware of diabetes and how serious it is and will be looking to improve their dietary choices to prevent getting diabetes.
We the Gracious Bakers team, that as people that make low carb products and follows this lifestyle, what advice would they give someone who just adapted the lifestyle and is struggling. Their advice is as follows:
“It is really a wonderful lifestyle to choose. All habits can be broken, it’s the bad ones that take a bit more effort getting used to. Join groups on social media to find encouragement and don’t be so critical if you don’t lose weight as quickly as you thought it would take. There is so much food that can be enjoyed and your personal health is something that you can invest in now or pay for it later, so see it as the most important investment of your life”
Gracious Bakers has a wonderful community initiative where they donate the offcut pieces of their undried buttermilk and seed rusks, to the Haven Night Shelter, for adults in Paarl. The Haven Night Shelter has over 200 beds and are always grateful for these, as they enjoy the seed rusk as a breakfast porridge with milk or buttermilk rusks with custard for dessert.
Gracious Bakers is looking to be stocked in more retailers nationwide so that they can become more accessible. They are excited to grow their range in the future with more delicious products and snacks.
Gracious Bakers products are stocked at checkers in Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the garden route. Most spars in the western cape, garden route, Eastern Cape, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The easiest way to find a store near you is to visit their website here and view their stockist page here. They also their own online store and are at wellness warehouses as well as Faithful to Nature.
