The beginning (1920s)
Mark Harris Manufacturing Co was established in Bulawayo, launching the Atlas brand. In 1920, Harris sold a stake to the British South Africa Company and together they expanded into Salisbury (now Harare) and Bulawayo. The Gloria Flour brand was launched in 1920, making it one of Zimbabwe's oldest continuously produced food brands - now more than a century old.
In 1924, the company was renamed the Rhodesian Milling and Manufacturing Company (RMMC). In 1925, Spillers acquired a stake. When Mark Harris departed, he joined his brother Cessey at C Harris and Co and launched the Red Seal brand in 1925. They formed Harris Bros and Co in 1928, dealing in wheat and maize flour milling, stockfeeds, grain, and general produce.
Growth and consolidation (mid-20th century)
J. Palte established a separate milling business, into which Tiger Oats (now Tiger Brands of South Africa) acquired a shareholding in J. Palte and Co. RMMC and Palte Harris Industrial Holdings eventually merged to form National Foods Holdings Limited, bringing the Gloria and Red Seal brands under one company. The Aspindale Maize Mill opened in Harare during this period of consolidation.
The modern era
Innscor Africa Limited acquired 48.82% (later adjusted to 37.73%) of National Foods. Tiger Brands holds 37.45%. The National Foods Workers Trust owns 9.85%.
Blue Ribbon Industries (BRI) was established and later fell into financial difficulty, closing in 2012. Bakhresa Group of Tanzania won the bid to take over BRI in 2013, rebranding it as Blue Ribbon Foods. In 2017, Blue Ribbon Foods announced a new plant in Msasa, Harare to increase wheat milling capacity to 600 tonnes per day.
Champion Foods was commissioned in 2024 as the third-largest milling plant in Zimbabwe, owned by Douglas Kwande and Patrick Mnangagwa.
National Foods' US$30 million investment
National Foods invested US$30 million since 2022 into high-technology milling infrastructure. A new US$6.5 million fully automated flour milling plant in Bulawayo was completed, replacing a 72-year-old mill. The plant increased daily wheat milling capacity from 200 to 300 tonnes, achieving 90% capacity utilisation compared to the national industry average of 52%.
An 11,000-tonne wheat silo provides approximately 36 to 40 days of milling stock at the Bulawayo facility, significantly improving supply chain resilience and reducing exposure to import disruptions.
Gloria Flour centenary (2020)
In 2020, both National Foods and Gloria Flour celebrated their 100th anniversaries. The Gloria range was refreshed with new packaging and a modernised identity. Gloria Plain Flour was renamed Gloria All Purpose Flour, and Gloria Brown Flour became High Fibre Wheat Flour. Gloria Self Raising Cake Flour was launched as a new product innovation, extending the range further.
More than a century after its founding, Gloria remains Zimbabwe's most trusted and recognised flour brand.