Proton Bakery, a prominent wholesale bakery in Zimbabwe, has unveiled plans to introduce new products for its clientele, with speculation swirling about the potential establishment of a plant in Bulawayo soon.
The company recently celebrated seven years of operation in the city.
Proton Bakery currently boasts over 15 products, including Proton Superior White Loaf, Proton Superior Wholemeal Loaf, Proton Seeded Loaf, Proton Rolls, Proton Candy Cake, Proton Jumbo Bun, and Proton Cake Premixes, among others.
During a recent media tour of their state-of-the-art bread and cookie plant in Marondera, Proton Bakery’s Chief Operations Officer, Simba Bodzo, unveiled plans for new product lines.
“We have several new products lined up that will be introduced throughout this year,” Bodzo said.
Bodzo also emphasised the importance of establishing a plant in the Matabeleland region. “We recognise the need for a manufacturing facility in Matabeleland,” he stated. “We’ve been exploring this possibility with the government. While I can’t provide a specific timeline, the plant would service the Southern Region from Bulawayo.”
Proton Bakery utilises 100% locally made flour from the main millers: Mega Marketing Victoria Falls and Sunrise Millers in Marondera.
Bodzo revealed that the bakery’s production exceeds 200,000 loaves daily.
“We have three plants,” he explained. “The largest produces 4,500 loaves per hour, the second-largest produces 3,400 loaves per hour, and the smallest produces 1,600 loaves per hour.”
“Our total workforce across the three depots in Marondera (production site), Bulawayo, and Harare is just over 1,500 employees,” Bodzo added.
He further explained the company’s recent investments.
“For the bread plant commissioned in November, we invested over US$2.5 million. The new machinery for the larger cookie plant cost US$600,000.”
Bodzo acknowledged the challenges faced by Proton Bakery, similar to other Zimbabwean companies.
“Like most companies here, we face issues with power, water, and sometimes currency fluctuations. However, we’re actively seeking solutions. Soon, we plan to convert some of our diesel-heated ovens to gas. Additionally, we’ve transitioned our boilers from coal-powered to diesel-powered, and we’re aiming to implement green practices throughout our operations,” he said.
He also added that currently, Proton Bakery cannot deliver countrywide.
“We put in the investment which is 50 percent of our previous capacity but it was all absorbed in the current market, we couldn’t go any further, it was all taken up in Bulawayo and Harare,” said Bodzo.
