R20m investment in producing that valued commodity: chocolate

1 of South Africa’s major sweet and candy companies, Richester Foodstuff, has invested R20 million in new chocolate production amenities at its manufacturing facility in Centurion in Gauteng.

The owner-managed non-public company that started in 2005 now produces an considerable vary of confectionery – including chewy and tough-boiled sweets, toffees, eclairs, lollipops, bubblegum, chewing gum, ball gum, marshmallows and sherbet – and describes itself as having turn into “one of the most important players in the sweet marketplace in Africa”.

It launched a domestically manufactured chocolate called Coco Bongo, costing just R2.50 for every 21g bar (the identical pounds as a Chomp or Bar 1 Mini), in January – and has previously marketed more than fifty percent a million bars.

The enterprise aims to expand its creation ability to 20 million Coco Bongo bars for every month above the subsequent two yrs.

This is anticipated to see the factory employ an extra 150 staff to its existing workforce.

Richester Foodstuff owner and MD Dr Hussein Cassim claims the very affordable price tag tag of the Coco Bongo chocolate bar will increase profits alongside the worth chain, which includes for a variety of firms, spaza shops and tiny distributors.

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“We’ve reverse-engineered the value tag to make certain that our customers are equipped to make up to 100% financial gain, although at the same time selling Coco Bongo at a extremely affordable value for customers,” he suggests.

“Rather than asking customers to help you save for days or months for luxury candies, we want Coco Bongo to be component of consumer’s day by day life.”

Swiss enter, African ingredients

He claims the chocolate bar, which features milk chocolate and a creamy centre, is the final result of investigate and worldwide consultations with “chocolate masters” from Switzerland.

The bars are built from cocoa largely purchased from farmers in Africa while other ingredients are regionally sourced.

“This is a level of delight for Richester Meals,” states Cassim.

“As a proudly South African enterprise, we want to play a meaningful part in work creation, and we never want to depend on other nations to source our item elements.”

The maker now employs an more 50 comprehensive-time employees in its new chocolate division, which options in-household chillers and cold storage services as effectively as laboratories for product tests.

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“There is stiff opposition from entrenched manufacturers, but we have the advantage in terms of understanding regional preferences and palates, which we’ve integrated into Coco Bongo,” claims Cassim.

“Going forward, we also hope to capitalise on market place options in neighbouring countries to grow our footprint and sector share.”

“Ultimately, we believe that that the chocolate current market features monumental development potential, with significant prospective for unlocking business and employment prospects through benefit chains,” he adds.

Nondumiso Lehutso is a Moneyweb intern.