AFGRI Animal Feeds, a division of Philafrica Foods (Pty) Ltd and QSA Holdings, a Queally family European holding company, has completed its acquisition of the Martin & Martin dry pet food facility, a South African pet food manufacturing facility based in Isando.
AFGRI Animal Feeds is a world-class supplier of advanced animal feed products and services, and plays a vital role in the food supply chain by converting raw materials into balanced feed for animals.
The Queally family has over 25 years’ experience in the pet food and snacks businesses, with their customers including some of the most recognised names in retail across the globe.
Both companies foresee many mutual benefits in the new partnership. The recent investment allowed for the acquisition of the ex-Nestlé production facility with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. The factory infrastructure has an annual production capacity for extruded pet foods to cater for the joint needs of the merged business and its future expansion plans within the African market.
The newly-named production facility, AFRIQUE Pet Food, will enable the growth and strategic objectives set out by the company to supply the growing demand of the South African pet food market. The enhanced manufacturing capabilities will ensure customer satisfaction and enable Afrique to supply top quality pet food, according to Anina Hunter, MD of AFGRI Animal Feeds.
AFRIQUE Pet Food has entered into a manufacturing agreement to produce all the Martin & Martin dry pet food brands. The synergy will enable efficiency improvement in the factory, whilst the Vitagen and Epol brands have been added to AFRIQUE’s brand portfolio.
The joint venture with QSA will bring diverse skills and high-quality specialised knowledge relating to pet nutrition, pet food markets and production technology to the South African industry, making it more competitive at an international level.
The culture of the new company, AFRIQUE Pet Food, is characterised by entrepreneurship and customer-centred business. “I am convinced that the combining of the two companies will further strengthen our market approach,” said Hunter. “In an effort to support the local value chain we will strive to source the majority of our energy and protein sources locally.” The Company will also be a Level 3 BEE contributor.
The Isando dry pet food facility acquisition is complementary to the animal health and wellness strategy of AFGRI Animal Feeds’ existing brands, which include JOCK dog food, Grandeur Super Premium dog food and Tailsup dry dog food. The branded products, as well as access to retail markets and co-manufacturing relationships driven by a philosophy of quality and a competitive procurement strategy, will ensure a strong future growth for AFRIQUE.
