unilever food solutions

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unilever food Solutions helps chefs all over the world “serve tasty,wholesome meals that keep guests coming back for more”.Writer Chris Farnell

Project manager Jason Gilkes

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Growthi s o n t h e m e n u

nilever is one of the most recognised names in the food industry around the world. if you go to your fridge

right now there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find something with the word unilever somewhere on the label. among the many facets of the business is unilever food Solutions, the professional culinary division which is dedicated to offering products and services to the food service market all over the world. as managing director michel mellis explains, “we work with powerful global brands such as knorr, Hellmann’s, robertsons and carte d’or in combination with local names such marvello, meadowland and fine foods in order to offer culinary solutions to all kinds of operators, ranging from hotels, restaurants, contract caterers to quick service restaurants.”

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Growthi s o n t h e m e n u



of course, while unilever is a globally recognised brand, unilever food Solutions can’t rely on brand recognition alone to bring in business. it’s unique selling point, mellis says, is the “incomparable end results our customers can achieve on meal preparation through our brands and services”.

“we don’t just sell top quality products and brands, but we also offer services in the areas of menu organisation, kitchen preparation and guest satisfaction,” he says.

We work with powerful

global brands”

Nashua Limited

as a company, Nashua is aware that the future sustainability of business in

South africa and the world depends on companies adopting eco-friendly policies that minimise wastage and environmental impact. with this in mind, Nashua developed a number of eco-friendly hardware and software solutions as part of its product offering. This lead to a partnership between Nashua and unilever, as both companies have a vested interest in energy-saving, recycling and combining ecology with sound business practice.

Nashua is working with unilever to adopt eco-friendly solutions at their Durban head office that include:

all the consumable materials that unilever’s printing devices use will be made of Biomass Plastics which are recyclable and contribute less to global warming than their petroleum-based counterparts

“Quick Start up technology” means a lot less energy is required to reach fusing temperature, therefore reducing unilever’s energy consumption and carbon foot print

Nashua will work hand in hand with unilever in assisting and disposing of the toner bottles in the correct eco-friendly way

Nashua believes whole-heartedly in maintaining the balance between people, the planet and profit in a way that is ethical, responsible and above all, sustainable. the solutions that Nashua is implementing at unilever are a perfect example of this principle and will hopefully open many other doors for large-scale companies looking to improve their eco-friendly initiatives.

tel 031 940 9129email [email protected]

f e a t u r e


/NashuaLTD @nashuasolutions

A new branch on the family tree. Unilever’s on-going quest for a greener future, and Nashua’s firm commitment to reducing their clients’

carbon footprints has led to a natural business solutions partnership. Nashua proposed a solution that

is custom-built to Unilever’s needs, lowering the amount of paper printed while still maintaining a high

level of efficiency. The energy-saving functionality built into all Nashua’s devices reduces electricity

consumption when not in use, another planet saving feature.

With our like-minded approaches to business, we look forward to this

partnership blossoming.

Tel: +27 31 940 9120

email: [email protected]

www.nashua.co.za

DURBAN

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this combination of high quality products and excellent service has been key in consolidating unilever food Solutions’ position as a market leader, but the company is still setting its sights higher even in the face of a difficult financial climate. “This year we are growing at twice the gDP index in like-for-like business, which is a relatively good performance,” mellis says. “However we feel there are plenty of opportunities to accelerate. The main issue affecting Unilever Food Solutions and the whole industry is a combination of inflation and lower consumer income, which pressures costs on one side and takes value off the market on the other.”

We don’t just sell top quality

products and brands, but we also offer services in the areas of menu organisation, kitchen preparation and guest satisfaction”

f e a t u r e




However, while the economic climate is one thing, mellis believes the biggest challenge facing the industry right now is something far more prosaic. “our biggest challenge has been communication,” he admits. “Because the market is so pulverised and operators don’t follow any specific communication channel exclusively, it is a real challenge to talk to our target food service market. that’s why we must develop multiple forms of communication in search of our customers. then of course there is also the challenge of operating in an emerging market environment, where the economy is not particularly strong, there is a high unemployment rate, volatile currency and social inequality.”

The main issue affecting

Unilever Food Solutions and the whole industry is a combination of inflation and lower consumer income, which pressures costs on one side and takes value off the market on the other”

f e a t u r e


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Natpro spiceNet

Natpro Spicenet has been in the herb and spice manufacturing business for the past 23 years

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we have become Sedex members as this offers an effective way of managing ethical and responsible practices in our supply chain

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Bidvest magNum

Bidvest magnum has built a Platinum Partnership with the prestigious unilever group extending over three decades; a relationship built on honesty, integrity, ethical leadership and commitment to service excellence.

our holistic approach to providing every client with the best turnkey security solution makes Bidvest magnum the service provider of choice. a combination of manpower and state of the art technology enables us to provide a tailor made solution to each and every client by being involved from the conceptualisation stage, the conducting of a comprehensive risk assessment, installation, commissioning and maintenance of our services.

a broad spectrum of Bidvest magnum’s security solutions has been implemented at the various unilever sites to secure the service excellence we strive for.

tel 0861 243 770www.bidvestmagnum.co.za


in the face of these diverse challenges, the most important thing is for unilever food Solutions to have a team with the skills and experience to deliver the very best. for mellis, ensuring the business has the best talent is an absolute priority. “we make sure we have the best people by attracting the best talents, developing them and making sure they stay with us. the care we take in creating a great work environment has been recognised. this year unilever was elected best employer to work for, which obviously helps tremendously in finding people who are willing to work for us. we also have probably one of the best development programmes in the market, which includes real global exposure and local training that ranges from market insights to leadership behaviour, as well as on the job coaching/mentoring.

We make sure we have the best

people by attracting the best talents, developing them and making sure they stay with us”


S p i c e & H e r b S p e c i a l i s t sM i l l i n g / B l e n d i n g / R o a s t i n g / P a c k i n g / D r y i n g

We are proud to be associated with Unilever Food Solutions.

Unit 5 | 17 Chelsea Avenue | New Germany | KZN | 3620 | South AfricaTel: +27317054118 | Fax: +27317054133 | Email: [email protected]

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Social Responsibility Initiatives

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Kpmg iN africa

kPmg has a clear commitment to serving our clients across africa. as a leading provider of

audit, tax and advisory services, we have identified three mega-trends that will collectively drive africa’s future growth. these are abundant natural resources, a one-billion-plus population and the urgent need for enhanced infrastructure. as a result, we have made focused investments in the following high-growth areas:

fi nancial services

infrastructure

telecommunications

consumer markets

Energy and Natural resource

Healthcare

anthony thunströmChief Operations Officer AfricaT: +27 83 700 8862E: [email protected] Katherine milesafrica high growth marketsT: +27 82 710 7408E: [email protected]

shelley albertsafrica high growth marketsT: +27 82 710 9807E: [email protected]

However, investing so heavily in the company’s staff can be a double-edged sword. when your company has the best talent, it makes them a rich target for headhunters. “the real challenge becomes preventing other companies tempting our talent away after we’ve worked with them for so long,” mellis admits. “we strive to avoid this by offering great career possibilities combined with the pride of working for a company with such high ethical principles. if you are interested in developing your career and are a good performer, a major global company like us will always have a place for your next step.”

We will keep developing our South Africa power house and make a more structured

move into Sub-Saharan African markets”


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©2013KPMGServicesProprietaryLimited,aSouthAfricancompanyandamemberfirmoftheKPMGnetworkofindependentmemberfirmsaffiliatedwithKPMGInternationalCooperative(“KPMGInternational”),aSwissentity.Allrightsreserved.KPMGandtheKPMGlogoareregisteredtrademarksofKPMGInternationalCooperative(“KPMGInternational”),aSwissentity.MC10922

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with top of the range talent and brands that are known and loved the world over, unilever food Solutions is in a great position right now, and the business intends to make the very most of that.

“the future is there for us to make the most of it,” mellis says. “Specifically for Unilever Food Solution in africa, we will keep developing our South africa power house and make a more structured move into Sub-Saharan african markets.”

as the company builds on its growth in existing markets, and approaches new ones, he is confident in Unilever’s unique value proposition. “we have such well known and loved brands, that in combination to our unique market approach, we must leverage into new markets like angola, Nigeria and Ethiopia, just to name a few. the food service market is very promising in this part of the world and we plan to outpace market growth at least at double rate.”

We have such well known and

loved brands... we must leverage into new markets”

spec tooL aNd die

two decades of mould-making excellence

working with leading brand owners and the country’s top plastics packaging converters, Spec tool & Die has grown in the last 21 years to be one of the largest independent toolrooms in southern africa. the company specialises in the development, design and manufacture of moulds for plastics packaging.

with one of the largest toolrooms in southern africa, Spec tool and Die offer in-house design facilities, and the supply of prototype moulds. advanced technology, coupled with skilled staff, ensure quality is built into every aspect of the process, providing customers with moulds that allow them to compete on both international and local markets.

tel +27 (0)31 461 1836email [email protected]


Tel: +27 (0)31 461-1836 • Fax: +27 (0)31) 461-1758 Email:[email protected] • www.spectool.co.za

Spec Tool & Die specializes in the development, design and

manufacture of quality injection moulds, injection blow

moulds, pilot working models and blow moulds. This is

accompanied by sound technical expertise, from concept to

final production. Spec Tool & Die is one of the largest

independent tool rooms in Southern Africa.

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there are clearly exciting prospects ahead for unilever food Solutions, but more than the wide recognition of their brands, the quality of their products and service, or even the talents of their people, there is one thing that mellis believes the company keeps in mind above all else.

“the most important aspect of everything that we do is the consumer,” mellis says. “and consumers in our market are very local, despite globalisation in many sectors. we at unilever food Solutions spend many, many hours talking to consumers, investigating market trends and learning from observing them. we do all of this in order to pass all this knowledge onto our customers, so that they will always be empowered to develop the very best solutions for making their guests, and our consumers, happy.”

to learn more visit www.ufs.com.

The most important aspect of everything that we do is

the consumer”


For more information contact:Mpume Shange

CEO Email: [email protected]

Cell: +27 (71) 557 7685 / +27 (82) 332 9897Tel : +27 (31) 312 9365 / +27 (11) 403 0105

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15 Nollsworth crescent La Lucia Ridge Office Estate la lucia 4051 South africa

Tel: +27 31 570 2000 Email: [email protected]

www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.za

E N Q u i r i E STel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 151

Tel (SA): +27 (0) 21 527 0053

[email protected]

S u B S c r i P t i o N STel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 144

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