Foodstuff & Beverages

Part of the Madhvani Group of Companies, which has a turnover of Ushs. 200 billion (US$ 114 million), Kakira Sugar Works provides livelihood directly and indirectly to over 100,000 individuals. Crushing 3,500 tons of cane per day, Kakira Sugar Works produces more than 87,000 tons of sugar each year, with 10.5 months of continuous operation . A workforce of over 6,500 and 8,700 ha of land under cane belonging to the estate.Over 4,000 outgrower farmers supply sugar cane to Kakira Sugar Works. Our social infrastructure includes staff housing, electrical distribution systems, roads, a hospital and 12 schools for employees' children. A major expansion programme, currently being undertaken, envisages that by 2008-9 Kakira will have increased outgrowers land under cane to over 18,000 hectares.We are in the process of increasing the factory crushing capacity to 6,000 TCD, producing over 150,000 tons of sugar each year. We are also planning to generate up to 20 MW of electricity, including up to 12 MW for National Grid of Uganda.

Nge-ge Ltd. produces chilled and frozen freshwater fish and fish by-products for export. Valuing quality and hygiene above all else, the company processes fish that come directly from the clean waters of Uganda's lakes. Nge-ge Ltd. is ISO 9002 certified and a member of the Fourways group of companies.With more than 12 years of experience in fish processing, Nge-ge Ltd. is a wholly Ugandan-owned private limited liability company. Capacity has grown dramatically since its inception, and production has multiplied by more than four times. Nge-ge currently produces an average of 500,000 kilograms of fish and fish by-products each month.Nge-ge began operations with one plant, and has installed a second because of expansion and growth. One plant produces fish products, while the other produces fish by-products.With more than 100 permanent full-time employees fully dedicated to its commitment to quality, Nge-ge hires an additional 50 individuals to work during peak seasons.Nge-ge only uses the purest and highest quality inputs, and sources all fish from its own landing sites on Lake Victoria. Internationally certified, these landing sites have been built in strategic locations around the lake, and operate under the most stringent hygienic conditions.Frozen products are shipped to their destination in refrigerated containers at a minimum temperature of -18&degC. Chilled products are transported to their final destination at a temperature of -2&degC.Nge-ge Ltd. produces a variety of frozen products.Frozen portionsIWP Nile Perch/Tilapia FilletsNile Perch/Tilapia Head Off/GuttedNile Perch SteaksNile Perch/Tilapia Whole FishFish EggsRed MeatFish MawsChilled products include:Nile Perch/Tilapia FilletsNile Perch/Tilapia Head Off/GuttedNile Perch/Tilapia Whole FishThe following by-products are also available.Head and CheeksFatsBelly FlapsSkinsScalesNge-ge began operations in 1989 with the capacity to produce seven metric tons per eight-hour shift. This has grown dramatically to 21 metric tons in the same time period, with no compromise on quality. Nge-ge employs highly skilled workers who respect the company's belief in quality and strict hygienic controls.Nge-ge's cold storage facilities have the capacity to store a total of 280 metric tons. The company also has two chillers, which can store 10 metric tons each.  Nge-ge Ltd. is a subsidiary of Fourways Investments Ltd. With branches in Masaka, Mpigi, Mukono, and Luzira, Fourways understands the importance of protecting and preserving Uganda's environment and forestland, and has established several forest reserves. In addition to its fish processing activities, the company is involved in commercial agriculture. Operating from the shores of Lake Victoria, Nge-ge has more than 12 years of experience in fish processing. A leader in the industry in Uganda, Nge-ge produces chilled and frozen fish and fish by-products for export. Nge-ge Ltd is opening a new landing in Port Bell, the main entry and exit point on the Ugandan side of Lake Victoria. Located within two kilometers of Nge-ge's factory, this new facility will decrease costs to local fisherfolk who have previously had to travel long distances to landing facilities. Nge-ge will engage in a program to sensitize local communities on stringent hygienic controls, to ensure the safety and high quality of the product. The new landing site is scheduled to open in May 2002. 

Selam Baltena is Ethiopia’s premier traditional food processor, spice miller, and culinary manufacturer established in 1993 in Addis Ababa. Renowned for preserving authentic Ethiopian culinary heritage, Selam Baltena manufactures and packages over 33 distinct traditional Baltena food products, seasoning blends, and organic spices that serve households, luxury hotels, diplomatic catering services, and diaspora communities across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Our extensive culinary product catalog includes authentic Berbere spice blend, fiery Mitmita chili powder, seasoned Shiro powder (traditional spiced chickpea and pea flour), Korerima (Ethiopian black cardamom), gourmet cinnamon, ground nutmeg, turmeric, Mekelesha spice mix, roasted barley flour (Besso), and traditional whole grains. Sourced from certified highland smallholder farmers, every raw spice undergoes meticulous cleaning, solar drying, traditional roasting, and hygienic stone-milling to achieve rich aromas and uncompromised purity. Operating modern processing and vacuum-packaging facilities in Addis Ababa, Selam Baltena complies with stringent national and international food safety standards. We offer retail-ready shelf packaging for supermarkets, bulk institutional food-service packs, and customized export shipments, bringing the authentic taste, vibrant color, and rich traditions of Ethiopian cuisine to dinner tables worldwide.

Fine Bros (Pty) Ltd was established in 1908 and is the oldest Market Agent in Cape Town. We are situated on the Cape Town market approximately 12 kilometres from the Cape Town Central Business District. Fine Bros markets a large range of top quality fresh produce supplied by farmers from all over South Africa as well as from Namibia and Botswana. We draw most of our buyers from the Western Cape area and have also exported to African countries for example Angola and Senegal with great success.   We export fresh produce (Apples, Potatoes & Onions etc.) on a large scale to many other African countries, as well as other parts of the world. We support and encourage BEE farmers and intend to get pro-actively involved in social commitments this year. It is our goal to grow and expand our business at all levels.  

We are one of the largest farmers of maize, sorghum, peas, cassava, chillies, ginger, groundnuts, paprika, sunflowers, sweet potato and turmeric all grown on our own farm. Some agroforestry species such as tefrosia and glyricidia, and some fruit species such as mangoes, also grow well on our farm. Funwe Hill is a prominent landmark near the south end of Lake Malawi in the Rift Valley. It is part of a small chain of thickly-wooded granite hills. Funwe Farm was created at the foot of Funwe Hill in 1975 by Press Agriculture, a subsidiary of Press Corporation, the largest company in Malawi. It is 8 km from the nearest main road, with no electric power or telephone in the area. Press Agriculture built the access road, various buildings and dams on the farm. It mainly grew tobacco, for which Funwe's low altitude (600 m above sea level) and low rainfall (700-900 mm per year, during a short rainy season from December to March) are not ideal. By the early '90s Press Agriculture was reducing its number of farms, and sold Funwe to a private individual. He sold it to the current owners on 1 July 2001 in virtually derelict condition.  With their long-term social investment aims in mind, the owners concentrated for the first couple of years on renovating the infrastructure and employing professional staff. The 8-km access road was rebuilt (see above) using labour-intensive methods in order to provide employment, and the five staff houses, two offices and two storage sheds were refurbished. Two new boreholes were drilled and one existing borehole refurbished – the latter supplies good quality drinking water for the staff using a solar-powered electric pump. To improve water conservation, two existing earth dams were repaired and two new ones dug.; fifty wells were dug by hand and lined with precast concrete rings, in order to provide small-scale irrigation for dry-season crops using foot-powered treadle pumps (as seen above). The whole farm was mapped using a hand-held GPS unit, to demarcate the arable areas from the woodlands. The arable land was subdivided into three equal zones, to permit a three-year crop rotation cycle. Each zone comprises about 100 hectares of usable land divided into 250 numbered 0.4-hectare plots. Soil samples were taken – most of the farm is dry upland sandy loam soil overlying granite, with a few areas of dambo (river valleys) with richer soil higher in clay and organic content.  As the staff number grew and the infrastructure was improved, agricultural activity began to expand. Initially the company Funwe Farm Ltd carried out most of the farming using its own labour, but year-by-year it has done less and the Funwe Farmers Group has done more. FFL tries out new crops and informs FFG of the economics of production and sale for each; then FFG decides whether to grow that crop. To date about 20 crops have been grown, of which maize for seed, sorghum for seed and pigeon peas for seed have proved profitable, while cassava, chillies, ginger, groundnuts, paprika, sunflowers, sweet potato and turmeric have all grown but not yet been profitable. Some agroforestry species such as tefrosia and glyricidia, and some fruit species such as mangoes, grow well. Vegetables and bananas do not grow well due to the extreme heat of the dry season.  In livestock FFL has become a sub-contractor to the Shire Highlands Milk Producers Association, specifically to breed heifers from indigenous mothers and imported fathers. The cross-bred offspring inherit disease resistance through their mothers and higher milk yields through their fathers. The herd also eats agricultural waste products and provides manure for the fields. Looking to the future, FFL and FFG intend to specialise in high-quality seed multiplication. The farm has processing and packing machinery and good storage facilities.