Mpilende Foods (Pty) Ltd is a black owned-and-managed company that has recognised a particular niche within the food-manufacturing industry (food fortification), with a special focus on the role of food in combating ill health, poverty and malnutrition. Janice Johannes reports back on her conversation with Refilwe Monageng, CEO at Mpilende Foods.
Mpilende Foods was established in 2007, but was formerly registered only in May 2008. The company was founded by Mfundo Thango, its current chairman, who is a young and dynamic entrepreneur with a number of awards and accolades in recognition of his sound business acumen.
Refilwe Monageng, CEO at Mpilende Foods in Johannesburg, explains that the founding director was not really into the food industry;he wanted to provide general business mentorship for young and aspirant entrepreneurs so that they could play a meaningful role in the socio-economic development of the country at large.
‘Mfundo got involved in the food industry by default, actually, when he decided to do some research in the industry as the nutritional supplements being administered back then did not seem meet their nutritional specifications. They, in turn, could not impact positively on the health of their intended recipients – terminally ill patients,’ said Monageng.
In essence the company was inspired by a single product, Enriched Instant Cereal, which was developed for the Health Department for their Nutritional Supplements supply and distribution programmes. Then Mfundo realised that there was a potential in the general nutrition sector in terms of manufacturing a product basket within the nutrition speciality for different government programmes, and in general food security in Africa,’ said Monageng.
Although the company is fairly young, it has already been nominated for an award in the New Entrant category of the Gauteng Exporter of the Year 2010 Awards, and it currently exports its products to Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mali. Mpilende Foods is also investigating the prospects of expanding its exports into Mozambique.
The company’s Vitameal powder, instant porridge and soy mince are its most popular products, according to sales figures. The Vitameal powder is a blend of soy and sorghum, with sorghum considered an important cereal food in Africa because of its drought tolerance. Sorghum porridge supplies a large proportion of the protein and energy for many people living in Southern Africa. The blend is precooked and is easy to prepare. The product is formulated using United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) specifications.
A 100g serving of the Vitameal powder contributes 28% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein and represents a 110% increase in the protein RDA when compared with a diet of sorghum only.
The company’s focus is on the role of food in combating ill health, poverty and malnutrition and improving the quality of life, and this prompts it to supply feeding schemes such as school nutrition programmes, food parcels and army ration packs, mine canteen operations and grocery supply chains, correctional supervision institutions, food and humanitarian aid missions, cafeterias, terminal-illnesses programmes, export markets and wholesalers, says Monageng.
Mpilende Foods sells 50% of its products wholesale and through contracts, 25% of its products through retail and 25% as exports for resale. The company decided to expand its exports into Africa because of its need for high-quality nutrition and a burgeoning awareness among African governments of the effectiveness of nutrition in boosting health and well-being.
‘Our company products have been certified to be compliant with most of the international quality-management and food production systems,’ says Monageng.
‘We are in the process of establishing our own in-house laboratory testing facility for a much quicker turn around in terms of products development, research, improvement and nutritional analysis and testing.’
He added that Mpilende Foods, its products and production processes comply with several quality-assurance standards, including the South African Bureau of Standards’ nutrition analysis and certification, ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 22000:2005. It is also accredited by quality certification company Bureau Veritas and is a level-three black economic empowerment-rated company as well as being certified by the US Food and Drug Administration Board and by the Southern African Development Community as an exporter.
Refilwe says Mpilende Foods’ specialty lies in food manufacturing and nutrition research.
‘Our company manufactures nutritional dry food products that have been certified to be compliant with most of the international quality-management and food production systems, and we are currently distributed through the South African government in their nutrition programmes, with the export footprint having been established within the SADC region as part of our growth strategy,’ says Monageng.
The company sources raw materials from different suppliers, but the key will be Flavor Craft for most of the premixed raw materials for their diverse products line. This will help in not over-stocking the raw materials, and also assist in terms of the production turn around-time.
The customers range from government departments, agencies, the export market, food and humanitarian aid organisations and wholesale as well as retail markets.
Currently, Mpilende Foods’ equipment is supplied only by Nawaz Machines but the company is now looking at forging healthy and strategic supply relationships with local industry players for a quicker turn around for engineering solutions and technology acquisition.
‘We have an in-house capacity for research and development through our qualified technical personnel – quality controllers, food technologists, nutritionists and others – who focuses on the development of each product at Mpilende Foods,’ says Monageng.
The major R&D in all our products, including nutritional analysis and certification, is done only through SABS.
Monageng says that Mfundo made use of a consulting agency before the company was established to make sure that the business would be viable.
Mpilende Foods products include:
Instant formulated products: aimed at mass production and distribution. These products are designed to suit particular dietary needs of targeted markets.
Examples
• Enriched porridge developed for the terminally ill and paediatrics.
• Milk powder (lactose-free, soya-based, whey milk).
• Dairy products (long-life milk, drinking yoghurts and milkshakes).
• Soup mix (various flavours).
• Soya mince (dry mixed vegetables, mutton, oxtail)
Food supplements / vitamin pre-mixes: aimed at the active and terminally-ill and for use in various product mixes.
Examples
• Flavoured health drinks.
• Health snacks.
Nutritional drinks (lactose-free): an alternative to cow’s milk and are recommended for the school feeding scheme programmes They are formulated free of the lactose that can cause diarrhoea, gas, and bloating in people with partial or total lactose intolerance.
Health bars and sports drinks: aimed at the active and health-conscious market.
Fruit flavoured juices: aimed at the catering industry, private and public health and dining facilities and mass distribution.
Dried herbs and spices: mixed and packaged for mass distribution
Snacks: packaged and branded for the mainstream distribution channels in order to compete with established brands.
