American author Fran Lebowitz once famously said, “If you can eat it, it’s not art.” After having tasted Short & Sweet chocolates, I’ve never disagreed more. Meticulously hand-painted and crafted with the finest Belgian couverture chocolate, their bonbons are not only picturesque enough to sit in an art museum, there are no two alike!

Jenna Short’s Sweet World

Owned by Jenna Short, the chocolate and confectionery brand supplies world-renowned local establishments, including restaurants from the La Colombe Group, Upper Union, and various hotels. Stunningly, one would hardly say that they launched just last February – Short jokes that her entrepreneurial spirit was inherited from her mother.

We had the pleasure of visiting the Short & Sweet chocolate studio in Woodstock and chatting with Short about the art of chocolate making, her dreams of opening up a retail store, and her upcoming collaboration with Cake Canteen. Join the conversation…

How did you get into chocolate-making?

Growing up in a food, beverage and hospitality-oriented family made it very easy for me to realise I wanted to follow in my family’s footsteps.

After attending culinary school, I learnt quickly that I was more drawn to the playful, creative yet detailed nature of chocolate and confectionery. When the first Chocolate Academy in South Africa opened just up the road from me in Johannesburg, I did a handful of specialised courses, and my passion for chocolate was solidified.

What was the inspiration behind starting Short & Sweet?

Cape Town is the foodie capital of SA. With the top restaurants, and food scene here, I wanted to supply these establishments with top-quality chocolates and confectionery truly bespoke and unique to each establishment, with emphasis on the art and craftsmanship behind each piece – just like the restaurants themselves.

I also wanted to have a brand and platform to explore my ideas and creativity through an online storefront; having found the ideal production space, that’s where it all began.

You create thousands of bonbons and treats every week, how do you manage to make it work with a small team?

At the moment, we’re a team of five; a year ago, we were three, so we’ve almost doubled. That in itself is crazy! I am fortunate enough to have a team of very enthusiastic and skilled women who make the job look easy. I focus on the chocolate decorating and business admin, and my team does the rest.

We’re all learning as we go and grow; constantly adjusting our work methods, production and tweaking techniques to continuously improve our output and time management. I believe that prioritising work-life balance and well-being in the workplace has also created a happier work environment and has played a key role in our success.

The Short & Sweet team (pictured from left to right): Anele Nqobile, Naomi Maphiri, Jenna Short, Cigy Chigamba, Mich Mugandane.

More chocolate brands and concept stores are entering the market. What sets Short & Sweet apart from its competitors?

At Short & Sweet, we focus on creating chocolate and confectionery that isn’t just ethically sourced and produced, but also highlights the craftsmanship and art of chocolate-making from bean to bonbon.

As a chocolate business without a storefront, we’re able to play and create freely without being tied down by a set offering or retail demands. This pushes us to keep adapting, keep up with trends, and keep experimenting and playing in the kitchen. We also offer fully customisable services to our clients – they can pick the shapes, colours, designs and flavours of bonbons for their establishment, thus creating something truly unique and bespoke.

What’s been your biggest challenge since the business launched?

Understanding what the business needs of me or which direction I should pursue next as the demand grows. We only launched last February and went from making a hundred chocolate samples a month to thousands per week for high-end clientele. At this stage, we find ourselves in that awkward business phase of ‘being too small to be big’ and ‘too big to be small’ – if that makes sense.

With every new client or opportunity that comes along, I wonder how we’ll adapt to meet the demand… at times, the opportunities and success can feel daunting. Overall, the growing pains of being a small business with limited capital (as the sole owner) has been the biggest challenge, but I’m here for the journey!

Your bonbons are known for their delicious fillings. How do you come up with innovative flavour combinations?

Working as a pastry chef before becoming a chocolatier taught me about flavour pairings, textures and profiles, which have greatly helped me along this journey. I also source inspiration online from chefs and chocolatier muses, as well as the odd TikTok trend.

Every gifting occasion is also an opportunity to try something new. I enjoy experimenting with limited edition bonbon collections. [This is when] I explore all my chocolate heart’s desires, whether recreating popular desserts into bonbons with a Short & Sweet twist, or using Halloween as an occasion to add Tajin spice into a fruity caramel. This also helps me note which flavours are received well and which aren’t worth making moving forward.

Favourite Short & Sweet treat? You can only pick one…

I would have to say my favourite is the ‘Oh My Heart’. It has everything – dark chocolate, caramel, crunchy chocolate pearls, hazelnut gianduja, milk chocolate and roasted almonds; it’s the most delicious mouthful! It’s crunchy, oozy and moreish. I also love that it’s got so much surface area to paint and decorate – there’s so much space for creativity!

Besides yummy fillings, you use Belgian couverture chocolate. Is this Short & Sweet’s magic ingredient?

There are so many amazing chocolate brands out there, but Fairtrade Belgian couverture chocolate is my go-to for several reasons… it has a high cocoa content, which lends rich and complex flavour profiles; its smooth texture and creamy mouthfeel, its consistent quality and reliable results; and, most importantly, it’s ethically farmed, sourced and produced.

All of these factors play a huge role in the overall quality, consistency and taste of our products, but also by sourcing chocolate from reputable brands, we’re playing our small part in combating unethical and exploited cacao farming practices.

The designs on your chocolates are intricate and beautiful. How do you balance creativity with consistency?

As much as consistency plays a key factor in being a chocolatier and working with chocolate, what I enjoy about decorating the chocolates the most is that it’s done by hand. Each piece we create is unique. No two are alike – we’re artists, not machines.

Our fillings, however, must remain consistent; we do that by developing and testing our own recipes for bonbon production, which also ensures our bonbons are shelf-stable.

You supply some of the best local establishments. What’s been the most rewarding part of your chocolate journey?

I often need to remind myself that we started just over a year ago and how far we’ve come since then – it’s always easier to see what still needs to be done than acknowledge the progress made.

What has been rewarding is seeing the support and enthusiasm people have shown Short & Sweet…  and having customers walk into our factory saying they’ve tried our chocolates and they’d like to buy more because they enjoyed them so much, or seeing customers become regulars in our factory or online store, trusting in our brand and products.

Another part that has been so rewarding is the self-development and personal growth I have experienced so far… understanding the requirements and demands of a business owner and employer; I take pride in [my team’s] job satisfaction. I have learnt so much about myself and the resilience it takes to run a start-up business.

Chocolate can be temperamental. Do you have any secret tips for home bakers and confectioners out there?

Three key factors for working with chocolate: time, temperature and movement. Understanding each element will make working with chocolate less intimidating!

Time: everything about chocolate requires patience; you can’t rush the process.

Temperature: chocolate burns easily and shouldn’t be heated above 55 ºC – it also gives the best results in an ambient temperature room; 18-22 ºC room temperature is ideal.

Movement: to temper chocolate correctly, it needs to be constantly stirred or agitated in order to crystallise properly. It really requires both hands and lots of focus!

With that being said, working with chocolate is fun and the end result will always be delicious, so you can never lose!

Any product drops or collaborations coming up?

We have our current limited edition ice cream tubs (a collaboration with the Sorbetiere in Woodstock), and an upcoming collaboration with Cake Canteen for Women’s Month (we’re so excited!), as well as new products and exciting opportunities on the horizon.

We’ll also be popping up in a few locations in Gauteng, Pretoria and Johannesburg, so keep an eye out! We’re impacting the South African sweet scene, one bonbon at a time!

Get your Short & Sweet fix at their factory in Woodstock or order at their online shop or with Mr D Food. Follow them on socials for chocolaty goodness.  

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