In this article, we take you inside Molatek’s uncompromising world of quality assurance, where every bag, block, and bucket of feed carries the weight of responsibility to farmers and their animals.
When it comes to feeding your livestock, quality is not just a nice-to-have; it is the difference between average performance and thriving animals. At Molatek, quality is the foundation of everything they do, and it shows in every bag, block, and bucket of feed that leaves their factory.
According to Erin Graham, technical manager of Molatek Malelane, quality control is the heartbeat of their company.
“If you don’t have quality, what are you selling? What are you giving to the client at the end of the day?” she asks. “Regardless of whether you’re producing a low-cost simple feed or a top-of-the-range product, you need to deliver quality to your client.”
Graham has a reminder on her office wall: Cutting corners on quality may save money in the short term, but the consequences linger far longer. For her, it perfectly captures the responsibility Molatek carries in every bag, block, or bucket of feed.
“Clients will always remember the price they paid for their feed. But what truly sticks is the value they got for their money. Whether their animals performed the way they wanted. Quality immediately builds that trust, and that’s why we prioritise it at Molatek. It’s highest on our chart.”
Quality beyond the bag
When people hear the word quality, Graham believes, they often think only of the feed itself. At Molatek, the definition is much broader.
“Quality ranges from not just the product you’re sealing in your bag. But also the quality of your systems, the quality of your service delivery, and, in my eyes, the most important, the quality of your team – the employees, the people who make or break your company.”
In fact, she shares that for Molatek, quality begins long before feed reaches a farmer’s hands.
At Molatek, quality begins the moment raw materials are sourced. The company uses a supply performance management system to evaluate suppliers on everything from delivery punctuality to the condition and consistency of their materials.
“We have on-site testing in our laboratory for natural proteins, always before offloading. If a raw material doesn’t meet our specifications, we reject the load. Because if you’re compromising from your raw material side, then you’ve compromised the quality of your final product.”
Inside Molatek’s 24/7 production facility, precision is non-negotiable. SCADA systems manage scaling and processes, while a dedicated maintenance team conducts daily calibrations. Each batch is tested multiple times in the laboratory and physically inspected before leaving the plant.
“Every single bag, block, or bucket that Molatek produces is physically inspected,” says Graham.
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Traceability promise
Few things matter more in animal feed production than traceability. At Molatek, every bag or bucket has both forward and backward traceability, Graham explains.
“We know exactly what raw materials were used, when and where it was manufactured, and even which individuals produced the batch. On the forward side, we know when it was dispatched, by which transporter, and who the customer was.”
Traceability ensures accountability, but it also builds confidence with clients. “We know manufacturing is never perfect, but we’ll stand by our product and we can identify mistakes and tackle them head-on if needed.”
To keep quality consistent, Molatek aligns every product with registered specifications under Act 36 of the department of agriculture. The company is also ISO 9001 and AFMA certified.
However, for Graham, it’s about more than compliance.
“We’ve been praised by auditors that Molatek has gone beyond compliance. We don’t just employ a system to meet requirements. We live and breathe the legislation and continuously look for ways to improve.”
This commitment is embedded in the company’s culture. “Throughput is never prioritised over the safety of our people and the quality of our feed. “Every department understands their contribution. From procurement to maintenance, production, and even sales. They all form part of the quality team.”
Building trust with farmers
For Graham, the most rewarding part of Molatek’s quality ethos is the trust it earns from customers.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is that we know approximately 95% of our end users by name. We’re in direct contact with them all the time. That allows us to meet their expectations, deal with questions, and respond to concerns quickly.”
Customer surveys reflect this trust. Farmers praise not only the quality of Molatek feed but also the expertise and service of its technical advisors across South Africa and neighbouring countries.
“Quality is a habit, not an act. You can’t practice quality manufacturing for one day a week and hope the other six days work out. The same goes for client service – it must be a habit, not just a random phone call or a farm visit once a month.”
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