History of flour milling in Zimbabwe
From the industry's origins in 1920 to a sophisticated industry producing hundreds of thousands of tonnes annually.
Mark Harris Manufacturing Co is established in Bulawayo, launching the Atlas brand.
Harris sells a stake to the British South Africa Company, and the business expands into Salisbury (now Harare) and Bulawayo. The Gloria Flour brand is launched, making it one of Zimbabwe's oldest continuously produced food brands.
The company is renamed the Rhodesian Milling and Manufacturing Company (RMMC).
Spillers acquires a stake in RMMC. Mark Harris departs to join his brother Cessey at C Harris and Co, launching the Red Seal brand.
Harris Bros and Co is formed, dealing in wheat and maize flour milling, stockfeeds, grain, and general produce.
J. Palte's milling business grows, and Tiger Oats (now Tiger Brands of South Africa) acquires a shareholding in it. RMMC and Palte Harris Industrial Holdings eventually merge to form National Foods Holdings Limited, uniting the Gloria and Red Seal brands under one company. The Aspindale Maize Mill opens in Harare.
Innscor Africa Limited acquires 48.82% of National Foods, later adjusted to 37.73%. Tiger Brands holds 37.45%, and the National Foods Workers Trust holds 9.85%.
Blue Ribbon Industries closes amid financial difficulty.
The Bakhresa Group of Tanzania takes over Blue Ribbon Industries, rebranding it as Blue Ribbon Foods.
Blue Ribbon Foods announces a new plant in Msasa, Harare, taking wheat milling capacity to 600 tonnes per day.
National Foods and Gloria Flour both celebrate their centenaries. The Gloria range is refreshed: Plain Flour is renamed All Purpose Flour, Brown Flour becomes High Fibre Wheat Flour, and Self Raising Cake Flour launches as a new product. More than a century after its founding, Gloria remains Zimbabwe's most trusted and recognised flour brand.
Zimbabwe surpasses its wheat self-sufficiency threshold for the first time. National Foods begins a US$30 million milling investment programme.
Champion Foods is commissioned as Zimbabwe's third-largest milling plant. The season delivers a record harvest of 555,824 tonnes, and National Foods completes its US$6.5 million automated Bulawayo mill.
Another record harvest is recorded, reported at between 578,000 and 640,000 tonnes.
New grain import levies take effect and survive a High Court challenge, while the AFSRTS 2 strategy targets 1.4 million tonnes of wheat by 2030. Read more in our Industry News section