When Covid-19 forced Sharon and Clifford Samuels to close their Nahoon Beach guest house, the couple were left facing an uncertain future.
Rather than retire quietly, they decided to start again — this time by turning a lifelong passion for baking and hospitality into a small business that now supports dozens of local producers.
With experience in baking and catering, the couple opened “Oh Crumbs”, a shop specialising in confectionery and preserves, in KuGompo City (formerly East London).
Sharon’s daughter, Jessica, said the idea grew out of their combined skills.
“My mom is a very good baker and makes excellent preserves, and my dad spent many years in the hotel industry, so he understood the catering side,” she said.
Clifford’s career included years with the Southern Sun group, as well as time at a hotel in Umhlanga Rocks.
“I worked for Southern Sun group for many years, under the then boss Peter Bacon, and then resigned to join another hotel in Umhlanga Rocks, the Cabana. A little while after I had gotten comfortable in the new job, Southern Sun purchased it, so I signed up with the group again,” he said.
Jessica, who had been working as a teacher, later joined the business after the family faced health challenges that forced them to slow down.
“After a few discussions we decided to open a shop selling a range of confectionery and preserves which I made,” Sharon said.
Finding the right premises proved challenging, but the family eventually secured a space on Old Transkei Road after a lease was reconfigured.
Not long after opening, local bakers began approaching the shop to supply their products — turning “Oh Crumbs” into a platform for small-scale producers.
Jessica left teaching to join the business full time and became both an employee and shareholder.
“It really suits my personality. I’m a people’s person and I enjoy helping customers choose from the range. I also enjoy interacting with the bakers who supply us,” she said.
Today, the shop works with about 60 local bakers, many of whom have grown their businesses through the partnership.
The family says some of the most rewarding moments have come from seeing suppliers succeed.
“We had one baker who would wake up early to bake fresh scones and sell them at a bus stop in Mdantsane,” Clifford said.
“She was both a good baker and a great salesperson. Her employer later allowed her to use the kitchen, and she began supplying us regularly. She now runs a thriving business.”
In another case, a baker who began supplying the shop was paid R3,000 for her first month’s sales.
“She burst into tears,” Clifford said. “She had never seen that amount of money from her own work before.”
He said the woman has since used her income to support her family, including contributing towards her child’s studies at university.
“It is a great feeling to be able to support people who are also contributing to the business with their products,” he said.
Four years after opening, “Oh Crumbs” has become a network connecting local producers with customers and opportunities.
For the Samuels family, what began as a response to a setback has grown into a business built on community, resilience and shared success.
Daily Dispatch