“Tiger Brands has always had this drive to support emerging farmers,” says Sipho Modiba, Procurement Manager, Agricultural Crops and Vegetables at Tiger Brands. “But about five years ago, the focus shifted to ensure that support is available across the board.”
Modiba refers to the culinary division. “The culinary division means brands like All Gold tomato sauce and jam, Koo’s baked beans, mixed veg and canned fruit, as well as Black Cat peanut butter, to mention a few.”
When Tiger Brands initially amped up their farmer support, it started with tomatoes.
In Musina, we now have 78 emerging farmers. It started with 30 farmers in 2019. After a successful first year, they brought on an additional 50 farmers. In 2025, they delivered 35 000 tonnes,” he shares.
Looking at farming support for other crop types, the team always starts with the capacity needs that the factories have and calculates from there.
“When it comes to small white beans, our need is over 18 000 tonnes, and our wheat factory needs 40 000 tonnes. In total, our demand for fresh tomatoes will be about 100 000 tons for the Koo and All Gold factories.
He notes that this is an ongoing project, and they have a clear internal process for identifying emerging farmers within the target geographic areas.
“We cannot bring in just any farmer; they need to be firstly in the area where the specific crop thrives, and then be within the required distance to the factory or processing plant.”
Modiba highlights that the distance is important for two reasons: Travel costs, as well as the risk of crushing the fresh, juicy tomatoes. “Remember, we take full red tomatoes. The more distance you travel, the more they crush and lose juice, and we pay based on the farmers’ weight.
He uses a clear example: “On the farm, they load 30 tons. When it arrives at the factory, it’s 27 or 28 tons; therefore, we want to minimise the loss of juice along the way.”
When it comes to baked beans, Tiger Brands requires approximately 18 000 tons per year of beans, so this number is their ultimate goal.
“We started the baked beans support project almost 5 years ago. The first year delivered 300 tons, and last year delivered nearly 3 000 tons. The 2026 season (that starts at the end of May and ends in September) should deliver 6 500.”
Sights on the Value Chain
Tiger Brands is not focused only on manufacturing, but also on supporting emerging farmers. Instead, they aim to build a robust value chain where all players benefit. By supporting emerging farmers, the aim is not to replace established commercial farmers in South Africa, but to help new entrants build long-term sustainability.
As one of the biggest food brands in South Africa, Tiger Brands has a deep understanding of the struggles farmers face. “Farmers, but emerging farmers in particular, face a few challenges: funding, equipment, and market access.
“We use our relationship with suppliers, the ARC and commodity traders to access equipment and seed that the new farmer might not otherwise be able to access.”
He adds that Tiger Brands recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Land Bank. This should assist the farmers greatly because often, a funder such as Land Bank is unable to fund a farmer because they cannot indicate market access.
Pro Tip: Market access for a farmer means that there is a guarantee that the crop will be bought and generate an income, not just be harvested and then be an expense that nothing happens with.
Modiba indicates that by sending farmers whom Tiger Brands prefers to work with to Land Bank, the bank should then be able to proceed with other due diligence checks and ultimately be able to secure funding.
They can assist with access by providing the farmer with a letter of intent that they can then use to source funding for themselves. “They also provide them with a contract that says, I’m willing to buy this from you, but in the contract, you put in the quality conditions.
“If the peanuts have aflatoxins, I can’t buy them. So, therefore, in the process of budgeting for your peanuts production, you must also budget for testing at a lab to ensure the peanuts are free from them,” Modiba notes.
To ensure overall success, the brand also uses a mentor who knows how to control irrigation and lower aflatoxin risk, how to fertilise the crop, and the best planting and harvesting times for the area.
Tiger Brands’ support for emerging farmers is not a single project, but a multifaceted long-term strategy that builds partnerships. From the famous 36 tomatoes that enters an All Gold bottle, to the favourful peanuts that made the Black Cat jar famous, the brand takes home-grown food seriously.
