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Fred Wallace - Scottish Master Sweet Maker arrives in Zimbabwe
After head-hunting all over the continent, Lobels eventually went further afield to find the expertise the company requires to develop and produce their new range of confectionery.
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A Master Sweetmaker, Mr. Fred Wallace from Aberdeen in Scotland is now keen to take up his challenge in Bulawayo, and arrived with his wife and daughter at the end of August 2000.
Fred has worked with major sweet manufacturing companies in both Europe and the UK and brings with him over 35 years’ experience. He will oversee the development of a full range of hard and soft confectionery, including chocolate products. Exports will be a key objective of the Lobels Sweets line.
Apart from a passion for conjuring up delicious consumer goodies, Mr. Wallace enjoys Scottish dancing, snooker and bowling.
Lobels Sweets Division Commissioned
Production is already under way at the Lobels factory, with the first of the new sweets having come off the packaging lines in late August.
New packaging has been developed for four economy range sweets - Apricots, Cool Candy, Toffee Rolls and Mexican Fudge. New production machinery for the sweets division has been purchased, installed and commissioned in consultation with Mr. Fred Wallace, (see above) who will be expanding the range.
The traditional childrens’ favourites, ‘Apricots’ have already been sent to shops in Bulawayo in a selection of traditional “consumer test sites” where merchandising and pricing will be put to the test before mass production is introduced. The other lines will follow suit.
It is envisaged that the sweets division, when fully operational, will be responsible for around 150 new jobs by the first quarter of 2001.
Chocolate Plant gets busy
Last year, the company commissioned a new chocolate enrobing line, firstly to cope with increase demand for its popular Zebra bars and Chocolate wafers, but also to handle more product lines for the new sweets division.
New - The Strawberry Zebra
Ever seen a pink zebra? Well now, thanks to enthusiastic demand from local and export customers, there will be a choice of plain cream and strawberry cream-filled biscuit bars.
The chocolate covered treats, sold individually or in boxes, have proved a best-seller at till-points all over Zimbabwe. Now the kids have a choice of two flavours, and the choc enrobing plant is doing double time. Is there a peppermint-green zebra on the horizon? Watch this space!
Now in Nepal
After an initial market testing period, the full range of Lobels biscuits are now being exported to Nepal.
A large wholesaler in Katmandu has undertaken distribution both within the capital and to larger cities. As yet, the packaging remains in English, thus appealing to the large tourist trade as well as the local consumers who are accustomed to imports from all over the world.
The consignments are sent from the Bulawayo factory via rail through the port of Beira, taking around 25 days to reach their destination.
In addition to the market in Nepal, Lobels already covers most of the southern African region, distributing its full line of sweet and savoury biscuits to Kenya, Zambia, Botswana, Mauritius, South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique. In addition, the protein-packed nutritional biscuit has been part of food aid packages put together by UNESCO for Ethiopian and Eritrean relief efforts.
“Our export business has been brisk,” said Financial Director, Clinton Lecluse, “But with the recent devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar by 24% in August, it is gaining considerable momentum. Our efforts to penetrate markets further afield are greatly assisted by a more favourable rate.”
Lobels award winning packaging
The South African Gold Pack Awards first held in 1976 and have since become a bi-annual event organised by the South African Institute of Packaging.
The awards are designed to recognise excellence in printing technologies and are keenly supported by the entire industry. Entries cover all packaging, e.g. glass, cans, board, flexible etc.. In 1997 there were 176 entries of which 68 received various awards. The event includes a category for entries from outside South Africa, the “Out of Africa” section, and it was in this category that Lobels’ printers, CPL of Harare, submitted two designs in 1997.
One of these was the Lobels Biscuits 200g Kentucky Cookies, reverse printed in 6 colours onto 20 micron clear Bopp and then laminated to white Bopp. Both entries received an “Africa Star Pack” award.
 
In 1999 CPL entered 2 more of the new Lobels packages - Chocolate Digestive and Zebra chocolate-coated biscuits. These flexographically printed packs received “Certificate of Merit” awards, again in the “Out of Africa section”.
Every year the competition becomes more intense but CPL will again enter in the 2001 event.
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