A Continuing Success

Story

FELDA Bridge Africa was started in 1996 and is a 50:50 joint venture between Felda Holdings Malaysia and the Bridge Group of South Africa. Felda Bridge Africa is one of the largest bulk distributors of palm oil products in Southern Africa.

The Bridge Group is a BEE-compliant, privately owned South African company that has been in operation for over 25 years. It has a staff complement of more than 150 employees and its 2007 turnover exceeded two billion rand. The head office, refinery and factory are situated in Johannesburg, with major branches in Cape Town and Durban and logistics offices throughout Southern Africa.

Felda Foods markets the “Supa” brand of palm oil products and has achieved phenomenal growth in the food manufacturing and preparation industries over the past 10 years. In fact the SupaCrisp brand is the fastest growing frying oil brand in the country and unit sales have increased ten-fold in the 10 years since the product was launched in 1998.

CURRENT OPERATIONS

Felda Foods services the food manufacturing and preparation industries through the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of palm oil-based fats and oils. While Felda Foods stocks a wide range of “off-the-shelf” frying oils, baking fats and margarines, it has also established itself as the leading supplier in the niche market of customised blends. Felda Foods maintains that it can produce products that will suit the specific fat requirements of almost any food manufacturing process.

The company’s activities include:

• The import of palm oil products;

• Manufacture of finished palm oil products, packaging and branding;

• Warehousing, storage and forwarding;

• Bulk and wholesale distribution;

• R&D - customised product development;

• Field support and in-store training;

• Environmentally-friendly used oil recovery

The industries that Felda Foods currently services:

Bulk Products:

• Snack food industry

• Frozen chip industry

• Ice-cream industry

• Coffee creamer industry

Baking Products:

• All baking manufacturers

• Confectionary manufacturers

Frying Products:

• Food service industry distributors

• Fast food and quick service restaurants – branding

• Hotel industry

• Catering industry

• Cash & carry wholesalers

Specialty Products:

• Customised blends for all food production requirements

NEW CORPORATE IMAGE AND BRANDING

In late 2007, Stephen Kromhout was appointed general manager and given the mandate of taking the company to the next level. He promptly assembled a dynamic new management team and recruited the services of an external branding consultancy to assist in the development of a new corporate image that would be more representative of the core business.

Thus Felda Foods was born with the aim of delivering the message to our customers, both existing and potential, at the revitalised company is committed to the food manufacturing, food preparation and food services industries in Southern Africa; hence the emphasis on Felda Foods.

The incorporation of an oil drop in the new corporate logo is easily recognizable as a symbol of the company’s area of expertise.

Expertise and specialisation is the new Felda Foods’ major point of difference, inan industry sector that has been traditionally mundane.

The company has taken a quantum leap in differentiating from the competition in that each customer’s specific requirements are addressed individually, through highly trained support staff, customised R&D

programmes and tailor-made contracts.

The re-branding of the highly successful SupaCrisp frying oil and the new “Professional Baking Series” of margarines and shortenings into packaging more representative of the food industry has also been a major development, which by all accounts has been well received by the market. This dynamic range has been specifically developed for frying, baking and confectionery professionals where consistent results, great taste and ease of use are paramount.

VISION AND MISSION

Felda Foods is confident of continued growth in the specialised oils and fats sector of the food industry in Southern Africa. A true reflection of the company’s commitment is the multi-million rand expansion and upgrade that is currently undergoing at the Felda Bridge Industries refinery and finishing plant in Johannesburg.

This “Win-Win-Win” philosophy is carried through to the end user or consumer, not only through improved end-product quality, but also by way of Felda Foods’ Corporate Responsibility programmes.

The main thrust of the company’s Corporate Social Investment programme is its alignment with SAFOI, the South African Fryer Oil Initiative and the universal implementation of the “Stewards Principle”. Felda Foods is committed to the practice of Good Oil Management. Its systematic removal of used oil from the food chain and turning it into biodiesel is coordinated on a national basis.

Felda Foods is committed to the practice of Continuous Quality Control and an important aspect of the upgrade agenda will be the achievement of HACCP accreditation before the end of this year. As South Africa’s major importer, manufacturer and distributor of quality palm oil products, Felda Foods is focusing on the food market with a new range of class-leading products.

The company’s ethos of striving to meet all four basic procurement needs in terms of Quality, Value, Health and Service has resulted in the formation of highly effective “Supply Partnerships”.