Nestlé South Africa has inaugurated its instant coffee manufacturing plant in Estcourt, in KwaZulu-Natal, after a R1.2-billion investment into the expansion of the factory.
The investment formed part of the company's R2.9-billion foreign direct investment in the last five years.
The expansion included the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, a state-of-the-art coffee drying plant and a new coffee processing plant, and upgrading existing coffee processing.
“Investments of this magnitude demonstrate the Nestlé Group’s commitment to long-term business sustainability and economic development in Africa. Through this investment, we will increase capacity for our coffee factory and meet the growing consumer demand for coffee in the region,” said Nestlé South Africa corporate affairs director Ravi Pillay.
Last year, the company launched a chicory farming initiative in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape in partnership with the departments of Trade and Industry and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries that allowed Nestlé South Africa to source chicory – a key ingredient in its instant coffee mixtures – from identified farmers.