Online Reporter
Prosper Ndlovu, [email protected]
FOLLOWING the commissioning of three new production plants by President Mnangagwa in Harare in May last year, National Foods Holdings Limited chief executive officer, Mr Mike Lashbrook, says the company is recording strong aggregate volume growth driven by expanded production capacity. The development has positioned the business to substitute imports while increasingly shifting its focus towards export markets.
President Mnangagwa commissioned the new Pasta, Biscuit and Cereal plants as part of a combined US$22,7 million investment, a move that marked a significant step in strengthening National Foods’ product range and advancing the company up the value chain in food manufacturing.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Zimpapers on the sidelines of the ongoing Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) 2026 in Bulawayo, Mr Lashbrook praised enhanced Government support under the Second Republic and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting national food security, economic growth and job creation in line with Vision 2030. “If you look at our aggregate volume growth over the last five years, maybe around 30-35 percent. We’re seeing decent growth in our overall volumes.
“We’re now kind of a year down the line. I’m very happy with the progress so far. I mean, I think, first of all, our market is vibrant. The economy is in a good state. We’re seeing a little bit improved consumer spending power, which is good. It’s benefitting these kind of products.
“In general, overall Government support is excellent. As a broader company, we invest heavily into corporate farming. We’re investing through the value chain to try and assist in the growth of local agriculture,” he said.
Mr Lashbrook said growth in local agriculture had been encouraging and was critical to sustaining value-addition initiatives.
“We’ve seen, you would have seen the statistics, local agriculture is growing quite robustly, which is healthy. We’re looking forward to further growth. You know, we’ve got big ambitions to value add furthermore. Pasta and biscuits are value-adding locally made flour, which is from local wheat,” he said.
He said the expansion of domestic industrial capacity had proved timely, particularly as import-dependent economies continue to face challenges arising from geo-political disruptions such as the Russia–Ukraine conflict and the recent United States–Israel war against Iran.
“I think given the situation in the Middle East, quite fortunate that we’ve done that because a lot of the spaghetti in this country is actually imported. So, it just gives us a bit more food security in the country as well. And we’re happy that line is running close to full capacity at the moment.
“The biscuit line is also going very well, pretty much running at capacity. Our Gloria Munchies is a new product in the market, but it has been very, very well accepted by the consumers and we’re actually looking now at further investments in biscuits,” he said.
Mr Lashbrook said the localisation of cereal production had also significantly reduced reliance on imports.
“You’ve seen our breakfast cereals on display here, very wide range of breakfast cereals. Many of our cereals were previously imported into the country. So, we’re localising the production there, overall we’re very happy. We’re seeing the volumes coming through and people are eating the products, which is what we want and they’re appreciating the products and seeing the value,” said Mr Lashbrook.
He said the company’s strategy was centred on maximising local value addition.
“So, simplistically, we’re saying, why should we import a finished product of pasta and pasta is basically flour and water. Let’s produce it locally. Let’s grow the wheat locally, mill it into flour and produce the pasta here. This is very interesting.”
The new facilities, representing a combined investment of US$22,7 million, form part of a broader US$50 million capital investment programme implemented over the past five years. The strategy underscores National Foods’ commitment to innovation while strengthening linkages with local agriculture through increased demand for domestically produced maize, wheat and soya beans.
“What’s quite exciting is that now with the value addition, we have potential now to look at the region because these are products that attract a higher margin. Once we’re happy with how we’re servicing the local market, then we’ll look at exporting as well,” said Mr Lashbrook.
He said the company was optimistic about prospects of a strong agricultural season, noting that domestic sourcing of key raw materials remained a strategic priority. Mr Lashbrook added that National Foods continues to support farmers through contract farming arrangements.
“We love local agriculture because when we pay local farmers, they hire more people. They value add to the local economy. So, we’re always big supporters of local agriculture,” said Mr Lashbrook.
“That’s why we’re happy to see the improvement in local agricultural production that’s occurring. So, we’re looking forward to a decent maize crop this summer. The winter cropping is now on and that’s going to be very important for us as always that we produce a big wheat crop. Demand for wheat and flour products is going up. We’re looking forward to a decent wheat crop this year as well.”
