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Located in Cape Town and founded in September 2016, Basilei offers a range of luxurious confectionery items that are bound to satisfy any sweet tooth from decadent fudges to baked goods and more.

Founded by sibling duo Istvan and Marcos Jordaan, Basilei is a true ode to the talents and artisanal confectionary craft of their father who inspired the creation of the business.

In an interview with Eat Out, Istvan Jordaan explains that his childhood experiences paved the way for the establishment of much-loved confectionery.

“Although Basilei only launched in September 2016, its true origins date back to the start of the new millennium. It was then that my father decided to mature his craft as an artisan. He developed countless exciting recipes and products. Naturally, my brother and I, being only kids at the time, found ourselves in the kitchen, helping where we could and eventually learning the skill ourselves. More than a decade later, we decided to introduce the world to these childhood delicacies. Basilei’s conception then is a marriage of heritage and a love for excellent products.”

As well-travelled individuals, having resided in Sydney for five years, the founders of Basilei have merged their father’s love and talent for confectionary items with a global standard of quality and excellence to ensure that each product is made with the utmost care and love.

“Our inspiration is our dad’s craft and his devotion to producing work that he is proud of,” adds Istvan.

 

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A decadent array of products  

At the start of their business, Basilei began their confectionary journey with the creation of their iconic and much-loved American style fudges and later broadened out to include other products such as cream cheese dark chocolate brownies, milk tart marshmallows and more.

 

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Istvan explains that kicking off the business with their creation of fudges has set the foundation for new sweet treat products.

“We started with American style fudges. The unparalleled experience with sugar, heat and marble gave my dad the necessary courage to venture into the world of nougat, mallows and caramel bars. There seems to be a cross-pollination of theory and execution with many of the products, which is why we are slowly but surely adding more flavours and product categories to our offering.”

Basilei’s most popular item is the Traditional Butter Fudge while Istvan shares that his favourite product is the caramel bars.

“I love the caramel bars, simply because of the toil that went into it. My dad and I did a three-day workshop in the south of France in 2018, where we were first exposed to the French caramel recipe. We attempted to make our own version of it, but eventually, put it on hold because the quality of product we were chasing eluded us time and time again. Early this year, in the wake of the second lockdown, my old man decided to re-engage the historical precipice of failure, this time with increased wisdom and patience. Before long, we had a product we were proud of. Every time I see the team making another batch, I can’t help but see it as the eventual triumph of perseverance.”

Basilei has a cafe located in Paardevlei and the products can be purchased in-store or ordered online.

“The love for something sweet seems to be deeply embedded in the collective psyche of South Africans. We are inspired by what is and has been, and simply love to place a new garment of design on it, whilst infusing the products with the quality that comes from slow, artisanal methods,” concludes Istvan.