Meet the owner and founder of Ouma Bets Gebak

Welcome to Ouma Bets Gebak, where every bite is made with love, passion and a touch of nostalgia. My name is Shineal Labuschagne, and this is the story of how Ouma Bets began in a garage with no startup capital, no investors and one R800 mixer from Takealot.

I grew up extremely poor, which taught me from an early age that if I wanted to change my circumstances, I would have to work for it. My family could not afford to send me to university full time, so I took responsibility for funding my own studies. I worked a full-time job while studying to become an Animal Health Technician, using my income to pay for my education and support myself.

In February 2024, I reached a crossroads. The practical requirements of my studies became too demanding for me to continue working full time, and I had to leave my job. My income stopped, but my tuition fees, bills and everyday responsibilities did not.

I needed to find another way to earn an income, so I turned to the only other thing I knew...baking.

I started Ouma Bets Gebak from my garage with zero funding, zero startup capital and no financial safety net. I did not have a professional kitchen, expensive equipment or investors backing me. All I had was an R800 mixer from Takealot, a willingness to work and the determination to make something out of what seemed like nothing.

I used what I had and started where I was. Every batch of cookies, every order and every returning customer helped me take another small step forward. Growth was not immediate, and the journey was not easy, but I kept going. I could not afford to build the business quickly, so I built it slowly, one cookie and one customer at a time.

From the beginning, I knew exactly what I wanted to call the bakery. My beloved grandmother, Bets Barnard, has always inspired me through the way she lived her life. She worked incredibly hard and carried the responsibility of being her family’s breadwinner throughout her life. She faced every challenge with strength, resilience and determination. To me, she is truly a woman of steel.

Naming the bakery after her was my way of honouring the example she set for me. She showed me what it means to work hard, provide for the people you love and continue moving forward, regardless of the circumstances placed in front of you. Those are the same values on which Ouma Bets Gebak has been built.

What began as a way to survive and continue funding my studies soon revealed something much bigger. As I built Ouma Bets, I realised that I was a business owner at heart. For the first time, I understood why animal health had never felt completely right for me. Building a business challenged me, fulfilled me and gave me a sense of purpose that I had never experienced before. I had finally found where I belonged.

With the support of our growing community, Ouma Bets Gebak developed from a small garage bakery into a brand loved by customers across South Africa. Each order allowed me to reinvest in the business, improve our products and take another step forward. Nothing was handed to me, and Ouma Bets was not built overnight. It was built through sacrifice, determination, long hours and the support of every person who chose to believe in us.

Today, Ouma Bets Gebak is entering a phase of intentional growth. We are focused on expanding our footprint across South Africa while building a business rooted in quality, consistency and community. No matter how much we grow, we will never forget the garage, the R800 Takealot mixer or the customers who helped turn a desperate decision into a growing South African brand.

I firmly believe that we do not have to remain trapped by the generational circumstances into which we were born. Growing up poor may have shaped the beginning of my story, but it does not get to decide how that story ends.

You can start something from nothing. It may take longer than you hoped, and your journey may look different from everyone else’s, but slow progress is still progress. Starting small does not mean that you have to dream small.

Thank you for supporting Ouma Bets Gebak and for becoming part of our story. Together, let’s continue creating sweet memories, one delicious bite at a time.

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Meet Ouma Bets Barnard

Ouma Bets Gebak was named after my grandmother, Bets Barnard, a remarkable woman whose strength, resilience and work ethic have inspired me throughout my life.

Ouma Bets discovered her love for baking at a young age. With no formal experience, she learned from her mother-in-law and turned that humble beginning into a lifelong passion. For more than 50 years, she became known in her community for everything from traditional koeksisters and pies to rusks, cakes, cookies and platters. At one stage, she baked more than 2,000 dozen koeksisters every week, and her name became synonymous with homemade lekker kos.

In 2013, a devastating fire destroyed her home and bakery, leaving her with nothing. But Ouma Bets did not give up. With incredible determination and the support of her community, she rebuilt her life and started again from scratch.

Although the name honours my grandmother, Ouma Bets Gebak is my own business. I created the recipes and built the brand from the ground up. It is not a continuation of her bakery or a collection of family recipes. What I carried forward was her example: the courage to begin with very little, the strength to keep going when things become difficult and the belief that good food can bring people together.

Ouma Bets Gebak is my tribute to the woman who showed me what resilience looks like and inspired me to build something of my own.