Nestlé Angola is considering a project for production of Nescafé branded coffee and drinks for domestic consumption and export.
The president of the Angolan subsidiary of the Swiss group, Wibart Wit, told local news agency “Angop” that meetings have been held with the Angolan government on this issue, as part of the economic diversification project underway in Angola.
Angola Nescafé products are still imported, given that there is not enough coffee to meet demand.
“For this reason we are thinking about supporting farmers, particularly through sector technicians, so that per hectare yield can increase along with the quality of the final product,” explained Wit.
Once production has increased the company is prepared to buy the coffee and, in addition to production for local consumption, it will export the product to other group factories.
In addition to coffee production, Wit also mentioned milk, considering the availability of this product in the domestic market to be "insufficient" .
Angola produced just over 12,000 tons of coffee in 2014/2015, a figure 20 times lower than the country produced 40 years ago, when it produced between 200,000 and 230,000 tons of coffee per year, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Nestlé has been present in Angola since 1955 and opened its first factory in 2012. The product portfolio in the country includes Nido milk powder, Nestum porridge and Maggi cubes.
The company is planning to invest $1.6 billion in two new production lines by the end of 2016 with a packaging capacity of 12,000 tons.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
