Elements of Joy – A Taste 40 Years in the Making

For Joy Joorst, koesisters are not just a recipe; they are a lifetime of memory, love, and craft. Her journey began in the early 1980s, when she started making doughnuts and koesisters from a recipe her mother received from a colleague. Over the years, Joy refined it, perfected it, and built it into her own signature style, light, soft, and irresistibly tasty. Customers often tell her it’s “the best they’ve ever tasted.”

In September this year, Joy and her husband celebrated 39 years of marriage, a partnership built on faith, laughter, and shared dreams. She still smiles when she looks at the certificate he drew up for her when they first started courting, proof that even back then, she had something special in her hands.

After being retrenched in 2016, Joy could have stopped. Instead, she started again. Drawing on her lifelong passion for baking, she found new purpose and strength in her kitchen. During Covid, she returned to selling full-time under the name Elements of Joy, a name that perfectly captures what her business represents: creativity, care, and the small moments that make life sweet.

Growing up in the Northern Suburbs, koesisters weren’t an everyday Sunday tradition for Joy. They were reserved for special occasions. Easter sunrise at the graveyard, birthdays, and church bazaars. Each time they appeared, they carried a sense of celebration and togetherness. Today, Joy has created her own modern tradition. Though her children are grown and have homes of their own, her Sundays are still filled with the comforting scent of aniseed, yeast, and syrup drifting through the air.

Her koesisters have a reputation for quality. They freeze beautifully, stay soft, and remain delicious the next day. To Joy, that’s how a true koesister should be: simple, reliable, and made with love.

Elements of Joy is more than a small home business. It is the legacy of a woman who kept her craft alive, who turned resilience into art, and her kitchen into a story that’s lasted for decades. Every batch she makes carries not only the flavour of tradition but the quiet strength of someone who never gave up on doing what she loves.