Ina Paarman’s Kitchen is celebrating 40 years in the South African food industry. Founder, Ina Paarman, spoke to MatieMedia’s Chelsea Burnell about the development of the brand, and her passion for food.
The smell of freshly baked vanilla cupcakes is a clue that new recipes are being tested for an upcoming cookbook, here in the Paarman Foods development kitchen in Cape Town.
Ina Paarman seats herself on a couch, and points to a collection of illustrations on the wall.
“For my first cookbook we didn’t have money for photographs,” she says. “We got somebody to illustrate for me.”
Since that first cookbook, which was published in 1987, a further ten Ina Paarman cookbooks have been written; all with colour photographs, she says.
Ina Paarman is the founder of the internationally recognised brand, Ina Paarman’s Kitchen. Apart from baking, Paarman enjoys cooking fish. This is because you need to stay present and be mindful when you are cooking it, she says. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
Where it all started
Paarman’s father passed away when she was a child. Soon after, her family moved to her grandparents’ dairy farm, which was based in Gauteng.
Paarman quickly learnt how to determine what quality food smelt and tasted like through watching her grandmother cook, and being exposed to fresh produce on the farm.
“The fresh produce on the farm familiarised me with very good ingredients,” she says. “I learnt the importance of using the best ingredients to make really good food.”
Upon her matriculation, Paarman followed her passion for food and attended a training college to become a home economics teacher.
Paarman’s mother encouraged her to rather start her own food business after teaching at a technicon for a number of years.
“She said to me: ‘You’re far too clever to work for the government’,” recalls Paarman.
IMAGE 2: The Paarman Foods factory shop is located in Diep River, Cape Town. The Paarman Foods factory is able to produce virtually anything due to the diverse array of products that the business has developed over the years, explained Paarman. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
Paarman and her husband converted their garage into a classroom, and advertised her cooking classes with the help of her children who distributed flyers around their neighbourhood.
Paarman started selling a “Seasoned Sea Salt”, mixed with the help of two assistants, to further promote her classes.
As word of mouth spread Paarman’s son, Graham, suggested that she should start a full food manufacturing business with his help,.
“‘You can cook and I can count,’ he said,” recalls Paarman.
Soon after, in 1983, the Ina Paarman company was founded. Graham Paarman remains involved in the business and is currently the managing director of Paarman Foods.
The Ina Paarman Development Kitchen is based in Constantia, Cape Town. It is situated on the Paarman family estate where she lives. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
‘Health’ is the focus
Paarman is extremely thorough in her recipe-testing process when it comes to developing new food products.
“[At Ina Paarmans Kitchen] we start off with one item, [we] write the recipe down, make it, and then make adjustments,” she says.
Over 120 recipes had been tested to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe, Paarman says.
“It took months,” she says. “Then, at last, I found a chocolate cake that was chocolatey, that stayed moist for three days afterwards, and that was virtually full proof.”
This specific cake is now regarded as the best-selling cake in South Africa, she claims.
Paarman notes that although the business does produce sweet goods; all the products used are “fresh ingredients that are free of chemicals”.
This is because healthy food forms the foundation of the business’ activities. For Paarman the value of “you are what you eat” had been a priority since going to the teachers training academy.
“You can eat great food,” she says. “But you don’t have to ruin your health in the process.”
Ina Paarman’s Kitchen initially started out as a cooking school. It was Paarman’s son, Graham, who suggested that it should be turned into a food manufacturing business, says Paarman. Captured is Janet Hacking, who tries out new biscuit toppings.PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
‘Paarman products are my lifesaver’
Sarah Davisworth, who works as personal assistant at the Ina Paarman Production Factory, explains that it is Paarman’s love for food that contributes to the quality products being created there. The business is infused with Paarman’s passion and staff members exhibit the same enthusiasm, she says.
“It is a real family business and the staff have the same love for the brand,” she states. “They go the extra mile ensuring the continued success of [it].”
The Ina Paarman brand is based on family values and so it appeals to even “the busy working moms and dads”, explains Davisworth.
Davisworth, as a mother herself, has worked full time for the Paarman brand for 25 years. She claims that the use of Paarman products have saved the day in her kitchen, since she’s got minimal time available to spend preparing meals
“Paarman products are my lifesaver!” says Davisworth.
Janet Hacking is the home economist at the Ina Paarman Development Kitchen. In preparation for the cookbook shoot, Hacking asks Paarman to distinguish which cupcake is suitable for inclusion. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
Don’t just dream about success
When speaking about how the Ina Paarman’s business has overcome challenges, Carine Walton, Paarman’s personal assistant, explains how they see hardships as the potential opportunity for improvement.
It has been a personal encouragement to see the optimistic way in which the business has approached stumbling blocks, says Walton.
“Paarman Foods have always been an inspiration to me to stay positive and to find initiatives to improve rather than to just throw in the towel,” she says.
Although Paarman classifies both talent and education as important contributors towards one’s success, there is one specific quality that a person needs to have:
“It is determination that is ultimately the key to success,” she says. “You’ve got to bite the bullet and not give up.”
Walton testifies how Paarman’s brand is an encouragement for young people to also follow their dreams. But this must be accompanied by perseverance and the internal drive to succeed, she says.
“You have to work hard to achieve your dreams,” Paarman says. “It is not just going to fall into your lap.”
A diverse variety of products are sold at Ina Paarman’s Kitchen. These products include sauces, spices, baking mixes, marinades and salad dressings, according to Paarman. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
In with the new
The internet and social media means that Paarman is now able to receive “continuous feedback” from her customers.
“They tell me which Paarman items they like and what we can improve on,” she says.
She explains that the critique from her customers has guided her decisions in which recipes should be featured in the new cookbook; set to be released in October 2022.
Amongst newly developed foods, Paarman supporters can expect some of her most popular recipes to feature in the cookbook.
“There are just certain recipes that people associate with me,” she says.
As long as there is a need, she will continue to produce her best recipes and foods, both old and new, says Paarman.