The woman who turned a family recipe into one of South Africa’s most legendary brands

When Elizabeth Anne Greyvensteyn first started selling rusks to her local community in a small town in the North-Eastern Cape over eighty years ago, little did she know that her humble business would grow to become one of South Africa’s most iconic brands—Ouma Rusks.

Rusks have been a beloved South African snack for centuries, long before the Ouma brand became iconic.

Dried bread, like the beschuit, has existed for ages as a means of preserving food for travel. Dutch settlers introduced beschuit to the Cape of Good Hope in the late 17th century, and local women sold homemade rusks to ships and travellers.

Rusks were a staple for Voortrekker wagons and played a vital role in feeding Boer commandos during the Anglo-Boer War. Traditionally, Boerebeskuit are yeast-based, unsweetened, and dried in the oven.

However, the journey of the iconic Ouma Rusks brand traces back to the small Eastern Cape town of Molteno, situated high in the Stormberg Mountain and is also known to be South Africa’s coldest town.

The Great Depression severely impacted rural economies, particularly in Molteno, with the area’s main source of income (wool) seeing significant price drops.

The local dominee came up with a scheme to help, offering the women in his congregation half a crown (30 British pennies) each to start a small business enterprise.

One such woman who got involved was Elizabeth Ann Greyvensteyn, known as Ouma Nannie.

In 1939, Greyvensteyn started baking batches of buttermilk rusks using her trusted family recipe to sell at church bazaars, sports meetings and other gatherings.

Soon, the demand for her rusks outweighed her ability to supply them, kick-starting what would eventually become a formal family business venture.

Ouma’s husband, Thys, who ran Molteno’s first Ford car dealership, began distributing the rusks beyond the local area with his Ford bakkie. This quickly led to him being affectionately dubbed Thys Beskuitjies.

Their son Leon, who later founded South Africa’s beloved Simba Chips in 1956, then joined the business amid surging popularity.

He constructed a rusk drier from an old car engine and clay ovens in their barn on the family farm, Freidenheim, transforming it into a small factory.

Speaking to the Heritage Portal in 2013, local resident Sam Prinsloo (then 94), said that he “will never forget when the Greyvensteyn family bought a small motor car – a Singer – which they modified to deliver biscuits to the town and the train station, to be sent to places like Queenstown or wherever they got order from.”

“It started giving them hassles in the end, and they had to get a little van, which was extremely primitive, and they eventually started to expand the business with larger trucks.”

“They started out from nothing, though,” said Prinsloo

The rusks were initially sold as Uitspan and Outspan Rusks before being renamed Ouma Rusks.

In 1941, Leon secured a £1,500 loan from the Industrial Development Corporation to expand, but the new factory burned down in 1952 and was rebuilt.

The Greyvensteyn family then sold the business to Fedfood in the 1970s, and over time, ownership changed hands multiple times, leading to alterations in the recipe and the introduction of new flavours.

In 1992, South African packaged foods company Foodcorp acquired Ouma Rusks.

The production of the rusks remained solidly on its first site – the Freidenheim family farm.

In 2011, Molteno’s proudest heritage and largest employer (over 250 employees) came under threat.

Foodcorp carried out a structural assessment of the forty-year-old Ouma Rusks factory roof, which was discovered to urgently need to be replaced.

To compound these operational challenges further, access roads in Molteno are riddled with potholes and frequently snowed under in winter. No proper grading facilities were available, resulting in major disruptions to the factory production line during annual snowfalls and sometimes causing week-long delays.

Foodcorp contemplated relocating the factory to Randfontein, but then CEO Justin Williamson decided against it.

Williamson said that “moving the factory to Randfontein would have made more financial sense for the business, but we knew that doing so would have a devastating impact on the local community.”

“We felt a strong social obligation to remain in Molteno. We have always been highly cognisant of the vital role that the Ouma Rusks factory plays in creating employment in the region, but we could no longer carry on alone – we needed to get local government on board in order to continue operating from the town,” he added.

After negotiations with local authorities and Eskom, the factory was rebuilt with a R46 million investment, increasing the capacity to produce several dozen tons of rusks daily.

The old factory is used as a warehouse to store raw materials and finished products.

In 2012, RCL Foods (which is 77.7% owned by investment firm Remgro) bought a controlling 64.2% stake in Foodcorp for R1.04 billion, with Ouma Rusks ultimately falling into RCL Foods’ diverse food brand portfolio.

Now employing nearly 300 people, the Ouma Rusk factory in Molteno continues to be the lifeblood of the town’s small economy.

Ouma Rusks continues to dominate the rusk market share, and maintains its position as a truly iconic South African brand.

From Ouma Greyvensteyn’s 30 British pennies, the Eastern Cape brand has become a cherished part of South African culture.

Despite challenges, its commitment to the local community has allowed it to thrive and maintain its heritage. It employs nearly 300 people and helps out a community of more than 10,000 by producing more than 23 tonnes of rusks a day.

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