Tiger Brands plans not to import small white beans to can Koo baked beans

For the first time in its history, Tiger Brands was forced to import small white beans to keep making its popular Koo baked beans last year.

The company predicted a 40% loss in last year’s local crop due to poor quality. It imported 2,500 tonnes of small white beans from North America at 30% more than local cost.

This was revealed during a recent Tiger Brands heritage tour in Bronkhorstspruit.

However, the company celebrated a successful harvest from two local black women farmers who are part of a group of 14 contracted farmers helping the company end its reliance on imported beans.

“We were going to lose about 40% with the quality we were getting while harvesting last year during this time,” said Dumo Mfini, MD for culinary at Tiger Brands.

Mfini told TimesLIVE when he saw the local shortage coming he searched across the rest of Africa for an alternative.

“I went to Mozambique, Botswana, up to Ethiopia and Malawi. In Africa, no-one could meet the quality, except Ethiopia, but their size was too small and unsuitable for canning,” he said.

Tiger Brands ended up importing Canadian navy beans, also known as small white beans, from North America.

“It was expensive. We imported 2,500 tonnes. The last 500 tonnes will arrive in Durban [soon]. We don’t anticipate importing next year, especially with the quality we are receiving from 14 local farmers. We plan to double volumes in future and create a buffer to avoid shortages,” says Mfini.

The bean shortage was worsened by climate change and crop switching. Mfini said sometimes farmers looked at which crop would give them the most profit. When the price of red sparkle beans went up by 50%, many farmers switched to those instead of growing the special small white beans needed by Koo.

In a partnership with Servicios Empresariales Holdings, led by Mpumi Maesela, Tiger Brands is now supporting 14 local farmers to grow small white beans.

“We challenged farmers to give us at least 1,000 tonnes of small white beans this year to try to remove the imports we were doing. The quality we got from two Bronkhorstspruit farms, all of it, was accepted. Today we’re getting two more trucks and it’s better than most of the small white beans we usually receive,” said Mfini.

Women farmers Fefe Maqubela and Marinkie Ntuli-Masimula are leading the way. After planting in late January, they delivered 53 tonnes of beans last week, all of it accepted for canning. More deliveries are expected in the coming days.

Maqubela, who owns Fefe's Farm in Bronkhorstspruit, said she chose to grow small white beans because of their market value and fast-growing cycle.

“Besides other crops, this one pays well per tonne, but it’s not easy. It’s a sensitive bean. If your beans are rejected, you lose money or get downgraded and that affects your whole season,” she said.

Ntuli-Masimula, owner of Marinkie Farming in Bronkhorstspruit, said it was her first time selling to Tiger Brands and she was thrilled. However, she pointed out the need for support.

“We were supposed to plant more than 300ha but we couldn’t afford enough seeds. The profit is good, but only if you have capital. We need mechanisation support and seed finance. Then we could work miracles,” says Ntuli-Masimula.

Sipho Modiba, agricultural procurement manager at Tiger Brands, said the harvest was one of the best the company has seen, but the future depends on infrastructure, especially irrigation.

Tiger Brands plans to increase its local supply from 19,000 tonnes to 28,000 tonnes by 2030 under its five-year procurement strategy.

The company is also working on product innovation. A new, easier-to-open bean can will be launched next month after customers, especially single women, joked online about struggling to open the current one without a knife or the help of a man.

Koo remains South Africa’s most loved tinned bean brand. The demand is high. “People just can't get enough,” said Mfini.

The Tiger Brands Heritage Tour 2025, focusing on Koo baked beans' journey from soil to plate, was held on June 6 in Johannesburg. It showcased the local small white bean harvest, with visits to women-led farms in Bronkhorstspruit. 

TimesLIVE