BULAWAYO — Zimbabwe’s biggest biscuit and candy maker Arenel has acquired a 2,6 hectare piece of land adjacent to its offices in Bulawayo to install a new purpose biscuit production facility aimed at increasing capacity and product range.
Managing director Joshua Lepar said on Monday that the acquisition was part of the company’s strategy to expand its operations buoyed by a promising local market and increased exports.
“We will add a few more lines that meet global standards. This will improve efficiency and bolster our product range,” Lepar said although he refused to shed more light.
Officials from the company, however, added that investment on the new project is expected to top $2 million with the new plant targeted to come on line in 2016.
The company has capacity to produce 100 tonnes of both soft and hard dough biscuits but is only running at 40% of capacity.
Its sweets line is under-utilised, producing only seven tonnes out of the installed capacity of 80 tonnes mainly due to competition from imported products.
– The Source
