Local matangara plant to serve Gauteng
A Walvis Bay company is planning to export traditional African cuisine in microwaveable pouches to South Africa.
Development Bank of Namibia spokesman Jerome Mutumba has announced that the DBN has provided financing to African Deli, a start-up food exporter at Walvis Bay.
African Deli will manufacture ready-made traditional African meals using beef, lamb and chicken. These will include beef and lamb matangara, or tripe. The DBN financing is being used for plant and equipment.
According to Mutumba, Africa Deli had approached the bank with an impressively researched proposal. After consumer demand studies and recipe development, South Africa's Gauteng Province, with 8.3 million potential consumers, was identified as the ideal market penetration point, with the rest of South Africa, followed by SADC member states, as next steps in the company's expected expansion.
In terms of product appeal, Mutumba said the product was targeted at the emerging middle class, who have strong links to traditional culinary culture, but limited time for the lengthy preparation process required for traditional meals. Africa Deli's products are packaged in microwaveable pouches, which save time.
He said ready meals used to be dominated by European and Mediterranean culinary styles, and the bank was proud to be associated with an addition to the range of African foods available on shelves. He mentioned chakalaka as an example of successful uptake of a traditional African dish.
Mutumba said the factory's location in Walvis Bay was ideal as it provided access through SADC transport corridors as well as shipping routes.
Walvis Bay is also well positioned to receive the unprocessed ingredients required for manufacturing the ready meals.
Mutumba said the company was a perfect example of DBN's financing ambition. Manufacturing has been singled out as one of the key elements of the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP).
Since African Deli was both a manufacturer and exporter, and would require inputs from local agriculture and agri-industry, as well as transport and logistics, the benefits of financing the company would spread to other sectors of the economy, he said.
He encouraged other entrepreneurs in the Erongo Region to approach the bank's office in Walvis Bay to discuss their ambitions and find out about the bank's requirements.
Mutumba concluded by saying that Erongo was a region that kept on giving to Namibia's economy, and the DBN regarded it as a gateway for development in view of that.
Since 2004, the bank has granted financing of more than N$4.4 billion to the region. In line with its national gateway status, the majority of that financing, N$3.3 billion, was allocated to transport and logistics developments.
That was followed by an allocation of N$451 million to the electricity sector and N$197 million to business services.
STAFF REPORTER
African Deli will manufacture ready-made traditional African meals using beef, lamb and chicken. These will include beef and lamb matangara, or tripe. The DBN financing is being used for plant and equipment.
According to Mutumba, Africa Deli had approached the bank with an impressively researched proposal. After consumer demand studies and recipe development, South Africa's Gauteng Province, with 8.3 million potential consumers, was identified as the ideal market penetration point, with the rest of South Africa, followed by SADC member states, as next steps in the company's expected expansion.
In terms of product appeal, Mutumba said the product was targeted at the emerging middle class, who have strong links to traditional culinary culture, but limited time for the lengthy preparation process required for traditional meals. Africa Deli's products are packaged in microwaveable pouches, which save time.
He said ready meals used to be dominated by European and Mediterranean culinary styles, and the bank was proud to be associated with an addition to the range of African foods available on shelves. He mentioned chakalaka as an example of successful uptake of a traditional African dish.
Mutumba said the factory's location in Walvis Bay was ideal as it provided access through SADC transport corridors as well as shipping routes.
Walvis Bay is also well positioned to receive the unprocessed ingredients required for manufacturing the ready meals.
Mutumba said the company was a perfect example of DBN's financing ambition. Manufacturing has been singled out as one of the key elements of the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP).
Since African Deli was both a manufacturer and exporter, and would require inputs from local agriculture and agri-industry, as well as transport and logistics, the benefits of financing the company would spread to other sectors of the economy, he said.
He encouraged other entrepreneurs in the Erongo Region to approach the bank's office in Walvis Bay to discuss their ambitions and find out about the bank's requirements.
Mutumba concluded by saying that Erongo was a region that kept on giving to Namibia's economy, and the DBN regarded it as a gateway for development in view of that.
Since 2004, the bank has granted financing of more than N$4.4 billion to the region. In line with its national gateway status, the majority of that financing, N$3.3 billion, was allocated to transport and logistics developments.
That was followed by an allocation of N$451 million to the electricity sector and N$197 million to business services.
STAFF REPORTER
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