Quantum Foods has fully integrated egg and broiler businesses with access to superior genetics in both fields. The animal feeds business unit has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and a strategic alliance with an international company to ensure cutting edge technology transfer.
Quantum Foods’ head office is situated in the town of Wellington in the Western Cape.
The company was originally established as a means to benefit from the bran off-take of the Pioneer Food Group’s milling business – today it is a self-contained business and has four focus areas:
- Animal Feeds
- Layer and broiler farming
- Eggs
- Related business on the African continent
The business units of Quantum Foods include:
South African Footprint
Animal Feeds
Quantum Foods’ feed mills are located in Malmesbury, George, Paterson and Pretoria, where feed is sold under the Nova Feeds brand. The mills are highly automated and are equipped to manufacture a wide variety of feeds for optimal animal nutrition. Integrated quality and safety systems are in place at all mills to ensure the consistent output of high-quality products for livestock consumption.
Nova Feeds has extensive expertise in the production and formulation of feeds for monogastric livestock (such as poultry) and ruminant livestock (such as cows). The main feed categories include poultry (broiler and layer), dairy, pig, ostrich and sheep feed. Feed is supplied to the integrated poultry farming operations and the external feed market.
Dairy feed represents the largest component of external sales, followed by poultry, pig, ostrich and sheep feed.
Nova Feeds is the leading supplier of dairy feed in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape and supplies feed to several of the country’s leading dairy farmers.
Farming
Layer Farming
Quantum Foods owns the rights to import pedigree grandparent layer stock of the Lohmann breed and distribute next-generation parent stock exclusively in South Africa and non-exclusively to some southern African countries.
Day-old parent chicks are reared and placed on the Group’s parent layer farm near Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng, as well as on a rented facility in KwaZulu-Natal. Fertile hatching eggs are incubated at the Group’s commercial hatchery in Bronkhorstspruit. Female day-old chicks are either sold or placed on the Group’s six commercial rearing farms.
Layer parent stock, hatching eggs, day-old pullets and point-of-lay hens are sold under the Bergvlei Chicks brand. The Group distributes nationally and into Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and eSwatini – with strategically located commercial rearing farms ensuring extensive distribution coverage.
Table eggs are mostly produced on Company-owned farms, with own production supplemented by agreements to buy eggs from other producers. The farms are located in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and North West. Free-range eggs are produced on two of the farms.
Broiler Farming
Until September 2021, Quantum Foods owned the rights to import pedigree grandparent broiler stock of the Cobb500 breed, which supplies next generation parent stock for its own requirements and non-exclusively for some customers in other countries in Africa.
From mid-2022, Quantum Foods plans to purchase day-old parent chicks. These day-old parent chicks will be placed on the current grandparent farm, which will be converted to a parent rearing and layer farm, and on the three parent rearing farms in the Western Cape.
Day-old commercial broiler chicks are produced at three hatcheries. The hatchery on the current grandparent farm will be used for the production of day-old commercial broiler chicks from 2022. The day-old chicks are transferred to commercial Company-owned and contract-grower broiler farms or sold to the open market. Live broilers are sold under the Tydstroom Poultry Brand.
Eggs
Eggs are processed at six grading and packing facilities located in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape (two), Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The eggs are distributed nationally as graded, ungraded or in liquid form. Graded eggs are sold under the Nulaid, Safe Eggs and retailer-own brands. Ungraded eggs are sold mainly under the Quantum brand.
Graded eggs are sorted in the packing facilities according to weight (for example, medium, large, extra-large and jumbo). Fresh and pasteurised liquid egg is produced in egg breaking plants, where the shells are removed from the product for sale. Fresh and pasteurised liquid eggs are predominantly sold to industrial customers.
Quantum Foods’ pasteurised eggs are produced at the grading and packing facility in Gauteng and distributed to other provinces through the Group’s packing facilities.
African Footprint
Quantum Foods has played a part in growing business in other African countries since 1996. We have sold poultry livestock in Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Angola, eSwatini, Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. Today, Quantum Foods are actively running businesses in Zambia, Uganda, and Mozambique.
Zambia
Quantum Foods Zambia commenced operations in 1997. Operations are conducted in two regions in the country, namely Lusaka and the Copperbelt.
Quantum Foods operates a broiler and layer breeder business (selling day-old chicks), a table egg business and a feed business. In Lusaka, there is a parent breeding facility for layers and breeders, a hatchery and a feed mill. The breeding facility produces day-old pullets and day-old broiler chicks.
Day-old pullets are supplied to the Chingola layer rearing farm as well as to the external market, while day-old broiler chicks are all sold to the external market. The table egg business, comprising a layer rearing farm, layer farm with egg packing facility and feed mill is located in the Copperbelt.
Both of these facilities sell feed to the external market.
The distribution capacity of the Zambia business is enhanced by a network of over 30 small retail shops that sell eggs, day-old chicks and feed. The majority of eggs are sold through these shops which ensure easy access for the consumer.
Uganda
Quantum Foods Uganda commenced operations in 2000.
These operations comprise a broiler and layer breeder business, a feed business and a table egg business. The Kampala sites comprise parent breeding facilities for broilers and a hatchery. The layer breeders are housed on a farm in the Migyera region. The hatchery produces day-old pullets and day-old broiler chicks. The day-old pullets are either transferred to the Masindi layer rearing farm or sold to external customers, while day-old broiler chicks are all sold.
The Masindi farm includes a feed mill, layer rearing and egg laying facilities.
Eggs are either sold directly from the Masindi farm or through a network of small retail shops.
Mozambique
Quantum Foods Mozambique acquired a layer farm in Maputo in September 2016.
These operations comprise a table egg business that supplies both the retail and informal markets.
Feed is procured from a third party, and the farm is stocked with point-of-lay birds that are produced by the Group in South Africa. Eggs are sold under the Galovos brand with the retail market being the main area of focus.