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Long Life Foods includes canned fruit, jams, vegetables, tomato products, bottled salads, canned meat, fruit juices and juice products, dry goods and baby foods. This division is one of the leading long life food producers in the country. With a strong brand portfolio, the division is focused on the procurement of the best raw materials, latest production techniques, operational efficiencies and quality product.
In 2010, RFG Foods extended its canning operations by acquiring the high-tech fruit canning business of Del Monte Fruits SA in Tulbagh, Western Cape. The deciduous fruit range includes canned apricots, peaches, pears, fruit cocktail and guavas. These fruit types are also packed aseptically as fruit purees and diced fruit particulates. The facility has maintained its high food safety standards, with annual HACCP, BRC and IFS (version 6) certifications. The facility is run by a team with many years of canning experience.
The canned vegetable facility was bought in 2007 and is located near Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. The short distance from its major supply base of raw materials allows RFG Foods to procure the highest quality of canned vegetables ensuring top product quality.
The factory produces premium quality canned vegetable products, including various tomato products, corn, mixed vegetables, baked beans, spaghetti, chakalaka and more.
People form the core of this highly motivated team. Their “can do” attitude means the unit can react to any condition timeously and produce superior quality foods.
The facility is continually being upgraded and is benchmarked against the best in the world. It complies with international food safety regulations, has high food safety standards, is FSSC 22000 certified and undergoes annual GFSI Intermediate audits.
In 2013, RFG Foods acquired Bull Brand Foods. The Bull Brand brand, established in 1957 and enjoys an iconic reputation in millions of South African homes. Its reputation can be firmly attributed to its commitment to quality. The Bull Brand production facility is located in Krugersdorp, Gauteng. In addition to Bull Brand corned meat, beef and meals, other canned meat products are also produced, such as Spekenam’s range of canned viennas and Apex’s value for money corned meat.
All Bull Brand products are Halaal. The Group’s insistence on the highest standards of health, safety, and hygiene is done through its Food Safety Management System (FSSC 22000), which includes HACCP. All products are approved by the NRCS the legislated appointee, before leaving the factory.
Swazican, situated in the fertile Malkerns Valley, was established in 1954 when pineapples were first grown commercially in Eswatini. Today it is one of the largest citrus canning operations in the world and a leading producer and grower of pineapple products. RFG Foods’s choice-grade canned and bottled jams and marmalades are manufactured at this facility.
The product range comprises canned citrus (orange and grapefruit segments), canned pineapple (slices, pieces and crush), citrus and pineapple juice concentrate and a range of prepared fruit and jelly products (packed in plastic cups), as well as assorted jams and marmalades. The production plant maintains high food safety standards, with annual BRC certifications in place.
RFG Salads & Pickles is a canning and bottling facility based in Bethlehem in the Free State that produces canned vegetables, bottled salads and pickled foods. The plant carries Halaal and FSSC 22000 certification.
In 2015, RFG Foods acquired Pacmar (Pty) Ltd, one of the biggest juice contract packaging companies in South Africa.
Established in 1997, the plant is situated on the outskirts of Wellington in the Western Cape.
The factory packs for both local and international markets. Its packaging formats include plastic (PET), Tetra Pak, Elopak and bulk packaging such as 20L and 5L “bag in box”.
The plant maintains high food safety standards and holds an FSSC 22000, ISO 9001 and e-mark certification. Regular inspections and constant health, safety and hygiene training programmes ensure that the facility continues to set the benchmark in industry standards. The juice products plant’s dedicated team of food technologists and experienced technicians enables the Group to offer the highest standards on food safety and product quality.
Located in Groot Drakenstein in the Western Cape, the plant was recently relocated from Wellington where it had originated as Boland Pulp. The Boland Pulp business which was acquired by RFG Foods in 2015, produces quality fruit and vegetable concentrates and purees. The main products are seasonal deciduous fruits with peach and pear purees contributing the largest volumes. The location in the Western Cape allows a 12-month production calendar thanks to the wide range of available fruits and vegetables for processing. 2018 also saw the completion of the juice concentrate plant to further vertically integrate the fruit juice operation.
RFG Pulps & Purees export their products to more than 30 countries around the world. The semi-finished products are used as ingredients in many applications such as fruit juices, fruit preparations, baby foods, ready meals and sauces. To assure high quality and safety, the factory holds the leading food safety standard, FSSC22000, along with SGF certification, which is the primary standard of industrial self-control.
The factory is equipped with 3 FBR-Elpo processing lines that wash, extract, concentrate and aseptically pack the purees with extended shelf-life while retaining organoleptic properties of the natural raw material. Quality testing ensures specifications are met and the consistency in final products is maintained from the start to the finish of each raw material crop.
In March 2017, RFG Foods acquired Durban-based food producer, Pakco, producer of branded and private label ranges of spices, condiments, instant meals and desserts in dry packed, bottled and canned formats. This acquisition enabled the business to expand into new and complementary product categories and allowed the Group to gain entry into the dry packed foods market. The acquisition of Pakco strengthened the growing portfolio of RFG brands, with the addition of the iconic Bisto brand, Hinds, Buffalo, Southern Coating, Trotters, Gold Dish and Pakco.
The factory carries an Halaal and FSSC 22000 certification.
The Flexible Packaging / Baby Foods facility at Groot Drakenstein was completed in 2017. This modern production facility allows the Group to pack puree in a pouch, delivering a product that is 100% pure, consists of only fruit and vegetables with no additives, and is safe and convenient for babies 6months+.
The facility carries an Halaal, FSSC 22000 and SGF certification and also packs other foods like tomato paste in flexible packaging format.