Tiger Brands secures first bean delivery from North West farmers in major local sourcing push
Early deliveries signal a strong start to the 2025 season and renewed focus on local crop supply.
SOUTH AFRICA – Tiger Brands, one of South Africa’s largest packaged food manufacturing company, has received the season’s first A-grade small white bean crop from 13 smallholder farmers in the North West, marking a strong start for the food producer’s local sourcing effort.
The beans will go into the company’s well-known KOO Baked Beans range.
This group of farmers, half of whom are women, are part of the Tiger Brands Enterprise and Supplier Development programme. The initiative offers both technical and financial support to growers to help them meet quality and volume targets.
Last year’s crop shortfalls forced the company to import a portion of its supply for the first time. “It was a devastating reality we faced when local farmers were unable to meet the necessary volumes last season, forcing us to look beyond South African borders to fill the supply gap,” said Dumo Mfini, Managing Director of Culinary at Tiger Brands.
Mfini noted that this season’s positive start follows increased support for local farmers. “This new season, we have optimised our support for local farmers so that they are better equipped to handle the anticipated and sometimes unforeseen challenges of agricultural production.”
Tiger Brands sources around 19,000 tonnes of small white beans annually from provinces such as Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State and North West.
Through partnerships in the agricultural sector, the company has focused on strengthening local supply chains to reduce import dependence and improve food security.
“We are actively developing sustainable local agricultural sourcing to ensure a reliable supply of raw materials, reduce dependence on imports, support farmers in building resilient businesses and contribute to national food security,” said Mfini.
Like many crops, small white beans face climate-related risks. Limited access to equipment, funding and expert advice can affect the output of smallholder farms.
In response, Tiger Brands partnered with SE Holdings, a local agriculture group led by commercial farmer Mpumi Maesela. This partnership connects farmers to financial support, training and access to farming equipment.
Tools to Boost Yields and Cut Costs
To help reduce costs and improve yields, Tiger Brands provided drone technology and harvesters valued at R6 million (US$341,944). These tools will allow smallholder farmers to apply crop treatments more efficiently and bring in their harvests faster.
“As climate variability increases, access to precision tools and equipment such as harvesters and drone technology will enable our farmers to operate efficiently and consistently meet our quality standards,” said Maanda Milubi, Director of Enterprise and Supplier Development at Tiger Brands.
Maesela added that combining proper financial planning with expert farming advice has changed small white-bean production from survival-based growing to a reliable business.
“We are actively identifying and vetting capable new farmers to build a strong pipeline that will receive the technical and financial support needed to cultivate high-quality small white beans. This will be achieved by strengthening our partnerships with development funding institutions, applying lessons learnt and building on the successes we have seen over the past season,” said Milubi.
Looking ahead, Tiger Brands plans to grow its local procurement of small white beans from 19,000 tonnes to 28,000 tonnes by 2030.
This scale-up aligns with the current 1,500-hectare cultivation initiative, and supports the creation of over 1,000 seasonal and 100 permanent jobs.
The strong start to 2025 comes at a critical time, following last year’s shortfall of 2,500 tonnes. With La Niña weather patterns bringing consistent rainfall, and new tools in place, Tiger Brands and its partners are focused on reducing reliance on imports and boosting reliable, local production.
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