PepsiCo is one of the world's leading food and beverage companies serving more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
About the Company
PepsiCo is proud to be one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies. Every day, we are dedicated to bringing our mission to create more smiles with every sip and every bite to life. Our products are enjoyed more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Our portfolio—including Lay’s, Doritos, Gatorade, Pepsi and Quaker — consists of many iconic brands that generate more than US $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales, helping to deliver more than US $70 billion in net revenue in 2020.
In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), you’ll find our products across the region at every occassion, any time of day.
SSA wasn’t able to escape the unprecedented health crisis that unfolded across the globe this year. COVID-19 has profoundly transformed how we work, parent, shop, learn, and socialize. It has caused unfathomable grief and taxed our social infrastructure like nothing before, revealing hidden societal pain points, reopening old wounds, and creating fresh ones. At PepsiCo, we have been working with our Foundation to offer immediate community relief where we can. This includes the distribution of millions of meals to vulnerable communities impacted by Covid-19 in South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda and Ethiopia.
This commitment to providing hope during tough times builds on the mission that guides us: to Create More Smiles with Every Sip and Every Bite. This mission reflects our call to action to run our business in a way that simultaneously satisfies and advances the interests of our consumers, customers, associates and communities, planet, and shareholders.
In South Africa, you’ll find our products across the country at breakfast, lunch or dinner. At the gym or on the field. In the office or on the go. We refresh, restore and rejuvenate South Africans all day, every day with our key brands including SASKO, Weet-Bix, White Star and Liquifruit.
Through PepsiCo Positive, we are charting a new course to drive positive action for the planet and people. PepsiCo Positive is an end-to-end strategic business transformation with sustainability at the centre of how we will create growth and value by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change. Through our PepsiCo Positive pillars, Positive Agriculture, Positive Value Chain and Positive Choices, we are working to source ingredients and make our products in more sustainable ways, leverage our connections with consumers to take sustainability mainstream and help people make choices that are better for themselves and the planet.
Since PepsiCo first entered South Africa in 1997 with an investment into Simba, our operations have reflected a strong commitment to South Africa’s people, communities and economy. The USD 1.7 billion acquisition of Pioneer Foods completed in March of 2020 is one of the largest deals made by PepsiCo outside of the US. Pioneer Foods and PepsiCo have a shared commitment to serving the people of South Africa by providing the highest quality food and beverage products while driving inclusive growth for its employees, its suppliers and the community at large.
In South Africa, we employee approximately 13 000 South Africans across multiple sites including three corporate offices, 45 production facilities, and approximately 70 distribution and warehouse facilities.
As part of the Public Interest Commitments made to Government in terms of the acquisition, PepsiCo has committed to invest at least R5.5 billion (in addition to the purchase price) to achieve our vision of a thriving business in South Africa an an export centre to the rest of Africa. These investments include modernising and increasing production capabilities, adding routes and distribution capabilities as well as investments in socia initiatives.
We are committed to supporting the broad socio-economic imperatives of employment, talent development, and benefiting local suppliers (SMMEs) as well as programmes to promote opportunity and growth in SA. Part of the programme consists of a R1.655 billion, unencumbered, employee share ownership scheme which launched in November 2021 and will allow employees from day one, to have a real financial interest in the company.
Transforming the food system
PepsiCo is committed to driving inclusive growth for South Africa as we work to build a more sustainable food system for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Our establishment of a R600-million fund, the Kgodiso Development Fund will support the broad socioeconomic imperatives of education, SMMEs, emerging farmers and enterprise development over five years. This will include a PepsiCo-led initiative to create a food innovation ecosystem for South Africa.
Through the Development Fund, we will invest R300 million (of the total R600 million) in agricultural activities that build the capacity of disadvantaged emerging farmers and black-owned businesses; promote regenerative agriculture practices and encourage the adoption of innovation to revitalise local production within South Africa's agriculture sector.
The remainder of the investment into the Development Fund, includes R100 million for SMEs within our supply chain and R200 million for education, including scholarships for previously disadvantaged individuals acquiring qualifications or skills that contribute to transforming the South African food system.
Beyond our contributions to agriculture and the economy, we’re making a positive impact in communities across South Africa. Our school breakfast nutrition programme, our construction of the Lay’s RePlay football pitch in Tembisa and our partnership with the International Youth Foundation are just some of the initiatives of which we’re most proud.
In 2020/21, COVID-19 profoundly transformed how we work, parent, shop, learn, and socialize. It has caused unfathomable grief and taxed our social infrastructure like nothing before, revealing hidden societal pain points, reopening old wounds, and creating fresh ones. At PepsiCo, we have been working with our Foundation to offer immediate community relief where we can.
PepsiCo currently has a strong presence in Nigeria. The integrated Nigeria team operates three manufacturing facilities in the country.
Quaker Nigeria is an oats manufacturing facility located in Lagos. The Quaker brand has a strong foothold in Nigeria and is enjoyed as a nutritious breakfast by families across the country.
Food Concepts Pioneer is a leading baked goods company with two bakeries located in Ikotun and Oregun, Lagos. With a primary focus on bread, through its Butterfield brand, the company also manufactures sausage rolls under the popular Yum Yum brand.
On average, 2 billion litres of PepsiCo beverages are consumed each year within the Sub-Saharan Africa region. This is thanks to the hard work of the PepsiCo SSA Beverages team.
PepsiCo SSA Beverages adopts a unique business model called FOBO – a Franchised-Owned Bottling Organisation. FOBO comprises of a bottler network that is spread across core markets, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Our History
Back in 1939 the world was in turmoil, we were in the throes of a global war and in Molteno, a small town in the Eastern Cape, things were not looking too bright either. Times were tough but some hardships eased a bit as Ouma Greyvenstein started making her now famous Ouma Rusks. This project helped the community generate much needed funds while supplying South Africa with its favourite rusks.
The first co-operation agreement between Bokomo and SASKO was in 1942 when SASKO shareholders acquired 27% shares in Bokomo, as a result the SASKO-Bokomo Co-operative was formed.
By 1948, Sasko cancelled the first co-operation agreement with Bokomo, and the companies reverted back to independent operations. Sasko concentrated on milling and baking, while Bokomo focussed on breakfast cereals, broilers, eggs, and animal feeds.
In 1957, South Africans were introduced for the very first time to the Simba Chippie. Not only did South Africa receive its very own ‘local is lekker’ chip, but we also caught our first glimpse of Simba the Lion, who would one day become one of our country’s most recognised and loved icons.
By the 1970s, more attempts were made at establishing ties between the two companies. As a result, on 29 October 1973, the SASKO-Bokomo Centreal Co-operative was registered, as a co-operative agricultural company with limited liability, to seve as a liaison between the members of SASKO and Bokomo. The agreement lasted for 13 years, and was the first real step towards a merger between SASKO and Bokomo.
SASKO and BOKOMO Merge – Pioneer Foods is born after a 50-year courtship. And PepsiCo makes an investment into Simba.
Pioneer Foods lists on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Pioneer Foods is acquired by PepsiCo following approval on 5 March and delists from the JSE on 24 March.
Present day, in Sub-Saharan Africa, our portfolio includes much-loved brands like Pepsi, Liqui Fruit, Ceres, Safari Dried Fruit & Nuts, White Star and SASKO.