Nestlé South Africa officially inaugurated its instant coffee manufacturing plant in Estcourt after a R1.2 billion investment into the expansion of the factory on the 19 April.  The inauguration ceremony, a remarkable milestone in the company’s 100 year history in the country, was attended by His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini.

The R1.2 billion investment into the expansion of the factory forms part of the company’s R2.9 billion foreign direct investment in the last five years. The expansion includes the construction of a waste water treatment plant, a new coffee processing plant, upgrading of existing coffee processing and a state of the art coffee drying plant.  Since construction commenced, at least 20 direct and more than 470 indirect jobs were created.

Nestlé’s celebrates its 100th year of operations in South Africa in 2016. The Estcourt factory is one of the first three factories that the company acquired when it established its presence in South Africa in 1916. Nestlé South Africa now has eight manufacturing facilities, three distribution centres and 3500 full time permanent employees across the country.

“We are extremely proud to be inaugurating this factory in our centenary year. For 100 years we have been manufacturing proudly South African products for South Africans by South Africans and contributing to the local economy through job creation and foreign direct investment. We believe that for a company to be successful in the long-term it has to create value for shareholders and communities where it operates,” stated Ravi Pillay, Corporate Affairs Director for Nestlé South Africa.

In 2015 the company launched a chicory farming initiative in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) .

“Chicory is a key ingredient in our instant coffee mixtures âˆ' Ricoffy and Ricoffy Mild.  Through our partnership with the dti and DAFF, identified farmers will supply us with chicory and we will ensure a stable supply of income for them, thus creating shared value,” concluded Pillay.

The Minister of the dti, Dr Rob Davies said, “This investment by Nestlé over the past five years, confirms that multinationals view South Africa as a preferred investment destination and a vote of confidence in South Africa.  The upgrade and expansion in the Estcourt plant positions Nestlé as a coffee manufacturing hub for the African continent. The dti has a long standing relationship with Nestlé and has provided support through incentives, supplier development and facilitation of their investment.”