When you try some wheat-free torte at Augusta you may  be surprised to find that it’s creator and driving force, Zosh Kihl, had been an administrator in the corporate sector until she launched her own confectionery company, Pleezer’s. Zosh lives in Constantia with her husband, Kent, and their two children, Emma and Elin.

“Pleezer’s is my baby – I eat, sleep and breathe Pleezer’s at the moment. It’s quite a change from what I did previously. I was a paralegal in a large law fi rm, and before that I worked in administration in a number of big financial services companies. During that time I married Kent, who’s Swedish, and in 1999 we went to Sweden to visit his family. While there I bought a recipe book and experimented with it when we returned to SA. When I made the silky almond cake, Kent explained that it’s a popular confection you find in many Swedish coffee shops, restaurants and supermarkets. I thought I might try to do the same thing with the cake here, and began selling to friends, colleagues and two coffee shops but it was more a hobby than a business.

I was still working and had started my paralegal studies, but when I fell pregnant the idea fizzled out. I went into partnership as a beauty therapist and didn’t give the almond cake idea any more thought until about seven months ago when the chef from the Blue Peter Hotel in Tableview called, wanting to know if I still made the almond cake. He’d tasted it at one of the coffee shops I supplied, got my number from them and wanted to place an order for the hotel!

I filled that order and soon he placed more. I took his call as a sign, nudging me to do something but I knew that if I wanted to make a business out of baking, I had to be professional about it.

I got in touch with a brand architect who helped me design a brand identity that wouldn’t be limited to just cakes. I have a real passion for the almond cake but I know it’s just a product.

My vision is to develop the Pleezer’s name beyond confectionery into a lifestyle brand incorporating many product lines. It’s really an exciting time for me, I’m meeting with national distributors and getting the name I’m so passionate about out into the public eye. I look forward to the day when everyone’s talking about my brand. It gives me pride when I think about where my business is going.”

Pleezer’s products are available at Pick n Pay V&A Waterfront, Pick n Pay Canal Walk, Pick n Pay Claremont, Pick n Pay Constantia, Pick n Pay Long  Beach, Pick n Pay Gardens & Pick n Pay Tygervalley. And of course Swellendam. At Augusta de Mist.