Promasidor Angola : Powder to the People

Promasidor Angola is driving the transformation of the nation’s food and beverage sector through local production, product innovation, and community engagement. CEO, Vitor Santos, shares how the company is strengthening domestic capabilities whilst delivering value to consumers across the country.

POWDER TO THE PEOPLE

Having undergone rapid evolution in recent years, Angola’s food and beverage industry is shifting towards domestic production and modernisation.

Though still somewhat dependent on imports – especially when it comes to raw materials – the industry has been transformed in many ways, with more players now choosing to produce locally.

There has also been a marked increase in agricultural production, with various new projects and developments underway across the nation.

“The future looks bright for Angola,” opens Vitor Santos, CEO of Promisador Angola, part of the Promasidor Group.

Operating in more than 40 countries in Africa, the Promasidor Group’s products are consumed daily by millions of families.

Angola is proudly amongst the top five geographies the group operates in, one where continued investment into new machinery, products, and processes has become crucial to its development.

Currently, Angola is also the only geography that speaks Portuguese, which differentiates it from other French and English-speaking countries.

GROWING PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Promasidor Angola’s biggest business is powdered milk, where it has three brands – Loya, Cowbell, and Mixwell.

The company’s goal is to diversify its portfolio and, for several years, new categories have been launched not only in Angola, but across the group.

This includes brands such as Proma Café (instant coffee), Top Tea (tea), Yumvita (cereal), Twisco (powdered chocolate drink), and Amila (powdered juice).

“We’re also present in the home seasoning segment, with our Onga brand offering five flavours of seasoning in powder and solid form,” Santos informs.

Finally, as an alternative to regular milk, the company has now introduced Cowbell Choco (chocolate-flavoured milk) and Loya Café (coffee-flavoured milk).

“Our products can be purchased in all provinces of Angola, which is made possible due to our route-to-market systems, which include several distributors, or direct sales to modern trade stores,” he adds.

In terms of recent developments, Promasidor Angola launched its new dairy creamer brand, Kremela, at the end of January.

“Kremela has been specifically developed to be put in coffee or tea, but can also be used on its own,” Santos insights.

In response to market research prior to the product’s launch, the company came to understand that its clients desired something more than just a creamer.

As such, this new formulation also includes milk and sugar, which has been received positively across the market.

Deeply committed to developing high-quality products, Promasidor Angola’s mission and vision is to manufacture, market, and sell food and beverage products that offer nutrition, convenience, and value to its customers.

“We are very aware that consumer perception and experience are crucial to product development,” Santos adds.

As such, prior to each new product launch, the company conducts extensive market research.

“From experience, something that works well in one country may not work the same way in another,” he points out.

In this way, across the Promasidor Group, market research in each region is responsible for launching products or adopting formulations from other countries to best suit consumer preferences.

Even after a product is launched, the company continues its market research to receive constructive feedback from customers.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES, BUILDING FUTURES

Committed to exploring meaningful ways to contribute and collaborate with communities, Promasidor Angola’s primary objective is to foster sustainable development by aligning its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives with the real needs of the local population.

“As a company, we believe we should have a direct role in the way we interact with and embrace society,” Santos reflects.

Based in a province close to the capital, Luanda, Promasidor Angola’s local neighbourhood is made up of honest and hardworking people – many of whom struggle to find employment that can comfortably sustain them.

“We are deeply aware of the socioeconomic climate of our local community, and this is why we interact with local authorities to establish meaningful ways in which we can help,” he assures.

As a result, the company has been able to recruit many of its staff locally, which has both fostered community goodwill and ensured valuable local knowledge.

“Our Twisco brand, for example, is often called upon to sponsor local youth activities. As always, we try to find the best ways of contributing beyond our products,” Santos tells us.

In this way, Promasidor Angola has dedicated teams that visit its stores to make them more appealing.

“These are just some instances which demonstrate how we’ve been contributing to a better society and happier communities,” he adds.

As it anticipates expanding its involvement in the local community, Promasidor Angola continues to collaborate with local authorities to understand how it can provide even more support.

SUPPLY CHAIN LOCALISATION

With 100 percent of its boxes, cartons, and outer packaging now produced locally, Promasidor Angola has been able to reduce its overall reliance on imports by prioritising local procurement.

“Currently, all our laminates, boxes, plastics, metallised or paper packaging, and materials are acquired locally,” Santos confirms.

This has been an area of great focus for the company, which has involved collaboration with several key players.

So far, this has afforded countless benefits, such as lowering storage costs and streamlining stock management.

It has also decreased the company’s overall dependence on imports, which has proven particularly beneficial when it comes to navigating foreign exchange limitations.

The move has also decreased Promasidor Angola’s need for additional personnel in the imports department.

“Local procurement has also benefitted the country massively as it has led to increased job opportunities and GDP,” he insights.

It has also contributed to the establishment of a circular economy by encouraging companies to begin recycling and reducing waste.

VISION FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

As it anticipates the future, Promasidor Angola is aiming to increase its activity in the country, solidifying Angola’s status as a key geography for the group.

To achieve this, the company will continue to diversify its portfolio through ongoing projects that allow it to grow and deliver increasingly high-quality products.

“Our goals are set, and I’m sure we’ll achieve them in partnership with our team and with the efforts of everyone involved,” Santos smiles.

Going forward, Santos is equally keen to emphasise the importance of the people who make Promasidor Angola tick.

“Everything we’ve achieved has been the result of teamwork, and we’ve been betting on our people for a while.

“Our goal is to ascertain the best staff in the market and make them excellent workers – focused, committed, and proud to work for this company,” he passionately concludes.