TEN smallholder farmers in Musina, Limpopo, have successfully delivered more than 3 386 tonnes of tomatoes – the equivalent of around 135 400 crates – to Tiger Brands to produce its iconic All Gold Tomato Sauce.
This is over and above the expected supply.
The increased harvest was made possible through support provided by Tiger Brands recently launched Hulisani Agricultural Development Programme, which also helped the farmers create an additional 156 jobs within local communities and sustain a total of 500 jobs.
Emerging Farmer of the Year
Tiger Brands has named Tshililo Mafuka, Director of Bob and Maggie Agriculture (Pty) Ltd, as its inaugural Emerging Farmer of the Year/Most Promising Farmer 2025.
A beneficiary of the company’s Hulisani Agricultural development programme, Mafuka provided 185% of the farm’s contracted tomato tonnage and created 20 new seasonal jobs in his community.
“Under Mafuka’s leadership, Bob and Maggie Agriculture has delivered exceptional results and consistently high-quality crops and demonstrates the power of commitment and partnership between the agricultural and private sector,” says Maanda Milubi, Director Transformation and Enterprise Supplier Development at Tiger Brands.
With support from Tiger Brands, including irrigation infrastructure that draws water from boreholes 1.5 kilometres away, the farm has improved both productivity and efficiency across its four hectares of land.
“Mafuka’s success shows how investment in emerging farmers drives shared value — strengthening local food security, building sustainable agricultural supply chains, and empowering smallholder farmers to thrive,” says Milubi.
Emerging and smallholder farmers are faced with several barriers to growth, including access to equipment and infrastructure to improve production efficiencies and crop quality, and the inability to mitigate climate change related events, and access to market.
Tiger Brands’ Hulisani agricultural support initiative, aims to address these challenges. In the case of the Musina based farmers, irrigation infrastructure was identified as a key necessity to help to boost and accelerate their production capability.
For Tiger Brands, access to local supply allows the business to supply consumption demands consistently, while providing key nourishment to South African consumers. It also reduces reliance on imports which can impact affordability.
“The Hulisani initiative underscores the interdependence between Tiger Brands and local farmers. By investing in farmers’ long-term resilience, we ensure a steady supply of commodities and raw materials needed for our products and minimise the need for imports to close gaps in the local market. For emerging and smallholder producers, they can grow sustainable enterprises that create jobs and ensure South Africa’s long-term food security,” says Milubi.
As farms harvest tomatoes, delivery is made on a weekly basis to Tiger Brands’ Nwanedi-based tomato processing plant in Limpopo.
Here tomatoes are processed into a tomato puree and transported to Tiger Brands’ Culinary facility in Boksburg on Johannesburg’s East Rand where All Gold Tomato Sauce is produced and packaged before being distributed to the trade.
Tshililo was awarded Tiger Brands Emerging Farmer of the Year/Most Promising Farmer 2025 during a recent Tiger Brands Supplier Day.
Image supplied (From Left: Praveen Balgobind, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Tiger Brands, Maanda Milubi, Director Transformation and Enterprise Supplier Development at Tiger Brands, Tshililo Mafuka, Director of Bob and Maggie Agriculture (Pty) Ltd, and Kenneth Stewart, Group Quality and Food Safety Director, Tiger Brands).
