Tiger Brands has unveiled a R200 million transformation of its historic Paarl facility into a Culinary mega-site, which brings Mrs Ball’s Chutney production in-house for the first time after it was outsourced to a third party in Johannesburg for the past 13 years.

The development of the Paarl facility is one of the first structural investments to go live under Tiger Brands’ plan to spend roughly R1.5 billion a year over the next three years, peaking at R2 billion.

The Paarl Culinary mega-site now houses three distinct production capabilities:

• A dedicated vinegar production plant with a production capacity of three million litres per annum. Vinegar is a critical input for several key Tiger Brands products, including: Mrs Ball’s Chutney, All Gold Tomato Sauce and Crosse & Blackwell Mayonnaise.
• The second major development is the commissioning of Mrs Ball’s Chutney production at the Paarl facility, with three production lines installed for the 470g glass pack, 375g, 800g, and 1.1kg PET packs, as well as the bulk 3kg and 6.25kg ranges.
• The third development is the transition of jam packaging from cans to recyclable PET containers.

Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, attended the ribbon-cutting this week, saying, the ongoing investment from Tiger Brands into the Western Cape is an “enduring vote of confidence in the province’s growth and job creation ecosystem.”

The factory in Paarl was originally established in 1903, and is the birthplace of another South African icon, All Gold Tomato Sauce.

The history of Mrs Balls dates back over 100 years. The first Mrs H.S. Ball’s Chutney™ factory was opened in Woodstock in 1917 to meet escalating demand for the popular condiment.

The new mega site will be the manufacturing hub for All Gold Jam, Mrs Ball’s Chutney, Hugo’s Jam, Colman’s Worcestershire Sauce, Mustard, Crosse & Blackwell Kasi Sauces.

Tiger Brands also sources key agricultural commodities from growers across the province, including strawberries from Paarl and Stellenbosch for All Gold and Hugo’s Strawberry Jam, onions from Villiersdorp and Grabouw for Mrs Ball’s Sweet Chilli Sauce, and Seville oranges from Ceres for KOO Seville Jam, produced primarily for export markets.

These commodities are supplied by seven (7) Western Cape farmers who collectively employ more than 300 permanent workers and around 700 seasonal workers during peak harvest periods.