The Gauteng’s Provincial government is taking concerted steps to facilitate the development of sustainable small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Gauteng Province, South Africa’s economic hub. And living proof of such initiatives is the Casa Mia Food Production Plant in Randfontein, West of Johannesburg.
The Casa Mia Food Production Plant manufactures and produces quality ready cooked maize meal products for markets in South Africa, the rest of Africa and the world.
Through the Casa Mia Food Production Plant, the Gauteng Provincial Government is aimed at achieving four main objectives, according to Lebogang Maile, Gauteng’s MEC for Economic Development. “The project aims to ensure that South Africa moves from the nation of consumers to producers, create 17 permanent jobs for local residents in Randfointen, West of Johannesburg, create new black pioneers in the food production market, over and above, give black business people access to productive sectors such as agro-processing,” he says.
The Gauteng Provincial Government, says Maile, regards Casa Mia as one of its main pilot projects to usher the entry of black South Africans into agro-processing, which has always been a challenge for black entrepreneurs because of entry barriers.
“Black entrepreneurs often struggle to access finance from commercial banks and even from development financial institutions.
In Gauteng, like many other parts of the country, agro-processing has always been a challenge for black entrepreneurs because of the barriers to enter the market. Black entrepreneurs often struggle to access finance from commercial banks and even from development financial institutions, Maile notes.
“An industrialist is a person who owns or manages an industrial enterprise that manufactures goods and services on a large scale. Industrial enterprises help to grow the economy and create jobs.
“Given that black industrialists are still small players in the mainstream economy, the Gauteng provincial government has placed agro-processing at the centre of the drive to increase localisation, re-industrialisation and job creation.”
The Gauteng Provincial Government identified Casa Mia Productions as a business it could support, after noticing its potential to grow into a big agro processing player. The company was founded four years ago by Wendell Peters, a young black businessmen based in Randfontein, west of Johannesburg. Since the company was established, Peters has been trying to break into the food manufacturing industry without much success.
Peters used to rent the Randfontein food production plant and machinery, which impacted on his company’s profit margins as most of the money his company made went towards servicing the lease. The company initially received R1, 1 million from the IDC to setup a test facility but could not secure a loan to start trading.
Since 2012, Peters sought funding to obtain an ISO 22000 food safety management system accreditation for his business. Without an ISO 22000 accreditation Peters was not able to access business opportunities in the ready-made food market
Fortunately for Wessel Peters, the Western Corridor of the Gauteng City Region, where Casa Mia is based, has been identified and positioned by the provincial government as the hub for agri-business and agro-processing industries. The Gauteng provincial government is partnering with the private sector to upscale agro-processing projects as part of the provincial government’s Agro-processing Strategy. The prioritised downstream agro-processing sub-sectors identified in this regard include meat processing, leather and hides, sunflower and soya bean oil extraction and herbs and essential oil.
The Randfontein food processing plant is the only ready cooked pap manufacturing facility in the entire continent which is able to produce ready to eat pap with no preservatives. The ready to eat pap has a shelf life of nine months. Currently the plant produces a variety of ready cooked maize meal products called Ezee Pap; Braai Pap; and Polenta (Yellow Maize Pap).
