Tiger Brands has invested in ten up-and-coming, black farmers through its smallholder farmer programme who are planting 100 hectares of oats in the Western Cape. The farmers’ crops will be part of the input for the company’s brand-new, state-of-the-art oat mill in the Mother City.
The mill, recently opened in Maitland, represents a capital investment of R208 million in manufacturing capacity for Jungle Oats. This product, then called “Tiger Oats”, was first made in 1920.
The opening of the facility coincides with the centenary of what has since become a famous South African brand.
In addition to this investment, a significant portion of the spend was allocated to local suppliers through civil engineering, building construction as well as engineering installations. A total of 120 people were employed in the construction of the new oats mill.
‘The goodness of oats’
Rees de Villiers, unit manager, outlined some of the innovative features that make the new mill advanced.
“With this state-of-the-art building and technology, the new mill has increased efficiencies and significantly improved output.
“Notwithstanding this, however, the overall carbon footprint has actually been reduced through the installation of higher-efficiency motors which reduce the energy input per ton.”
While a lot has changed in the past century, marketing director Lee-Anne Govender notes that the goodness of oats has remained consistently the same.
“The way in which we process our oats is unique and sets Jungle Oats apart from competitors, including international competitors.
“Interestingly, the original campaign of ‘Tiger Oats’ was ‘Health is wealth’ – a trajectory that we continue with the repositioning of the brand around heart wellness and health and embracing the natural goodness of our products.
“This year, we celebrate 100 years of “Doing life with heart”. Heart wellness continues to be a distinct benefit of Jungle Oats, given its beta-glucan content, and Jungle remains committed to promoting this message across South Africa,” Govender concludes.
