Here is the latest in ESMits normal order, Notes from Africa, which brings you the latest retail, consumer goods and food and beverage stories from across the African continent. Previous versions can be found here.
Rwanda: Bralirwa launches new packaging line
Bralirwa, the local subsidiary of the Dutch brewing group Heineken, has introduced a new production line at its brewery in the Rubavu area. The company invested more than 30 million euros ($32 million) in the project, which included the installation of its inaugural packaging line.
The move comes as the company aims to grow its presence in the Rwandan beer market. The new production line will operate with reduced energy and water consumption.
Cameroon: SABC sees revenue drop in 2023
In Cameroon, SociΓ©tΓ© des boissons du Cameroun (SABC) anonyme, a subsidiary of the French group Castel, reported revenues of Fcfa 729 billion ($1.2 billion) in fiscal year 2023. This represents a drop of Fcfa 4 billion ($6.5 million) compared to the previous year.
According to the company, 1.1 billion liters were produced and sold compared to 1 billion liters sold in 2022. It is worth noting that the company has invested in new facilities to boost production, with the recent expansion of the YaoundΓ© plant to to include a mixed line (beer, mineral water, soft drinks) in order to increase production by 18% at a production rate of 35,000 bottles per hour.
Kenya: De Heus begins factory construction
In Kenya, De Heus, a leading player in the animal feed industry, has started construction of a new facility on the Athi River in Machakos County. With a total cost of $23 million, the plant is scheduled to be operational in the second quarter of 2025.
Once operational, the plant is scheduled to provide 200,000 tonnes of feed per year at full capacity to meet the needs of poultry, pig and dairy production. It is expected to create around 1,250 direct and indirect jobs. This investment is expected to strengthen the efforts already undertaken by the government to increase local production of animal feed in the country.
Nigeria: Supreme Meat to launch state-of-the-art pork processing plant
In Nigeria, agri-food company Supreme Meat Limited is currently in the process of setting up a modern pork processing facility. The plant, the capacity of which has not been disclosed, is expected to give a boost to the manufacturing sector, which faces challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and limited access to markets.
With its project, Supreme Meat aims to take advantage of the growing global demand for pork products in the local market. The country is the largest producer of pork in Africa with about 350,000 metric tons, according to the FAO.
Kenya: SunCulture to receive $12 million for expansion
Kenya-based agro-tech company SunCulture is set to benefit from $12 million in funding from funding platform InfraCo Africa. This amount will be used to expand solar irrigation solutions in sub-Saharan Africa.
The company offers farmers a more sustainable way to manage climate-driven rainfall variability and avoids the need for costly, polluting fuel pumps. Its offering includes the design, manufacture, financing, installation and maintenance of complete solar irrigation systems with safe, low voltage DC pumps.
Benin: Benin Cassio receives $16 million in support
The Benin Cashew Company has received financial support of Fcfa 10 billion ($16 million) from the West African Development Bank (BOAD). With this amount, the company will construct cashew shell processing plants at its agro-industrial complex located in the Glo-Djigbè Industrial Zone (GDIZ) in the south of the country.
This will add to the existing factories already under construction in the area. The move comes as the country aims to add value to local agricultural produce through industrialization.