Africa Spice

What Africa Spice does

Africa Spice is a South African spice processor and distributor headquartered in City Deep, Johannesburg, founded in the mid-1990s and operating as a privately-held, family-controlled business led by CEO Zev Krengel. The company imports, processes, packages, and blends spices, herbs, marinades, sauces, and condiments for the red-meat and broader food-service industry, and serves top restaurants, independent and franchised butcheries, delis, retailers, and home chefs across South Africa. Its most differentiated technical capability is an on-site Imtech Steam Sterilization Plant using European technology, supported by an on-site microbiologist, that reduces microbial contamination while preserving natural flavour, colour, and aroma; the plant also processes indigenous botanicals such as Baobab, Moringa, Sceletium, and Rooibos. The company is EcoCert organic certified, Sanha-Haal Halal certified, Kosher certified, and FSSC 22000 approved.

The business operates a dual go-to-market. On the B2B side, dedicated direct sales target restaurants, butcheries, delis, and food processors, supplying spices, custom blends (with a 250kg minimum order quantity), natural casings, packaging materials, and — as an appointed Victorinox distributor — professional knives and cutting boards. On the D2C side, the company runs an e-commerce storefront at africaspice.co.za/shop shipping South Africa-wide, and distributes a celebrity-branded Jacques Kallis range of sauces and seasoning sprinkles through retail and online channels. Revenue is generated across five streams: branded spice and seasoning sales, marinades/sauces/condiments, the Jacques Kallis sub-brand, custom spice development services, and butchery supplies (casings, packaging, knives); consumer SKU pricing is in the R87-R210 incl. VAT range for 4x200g spice packs, with the Victorinox range priced R979-R1,042 per unit. Marketing relies on the proprietary website, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, recipe content, video storytelling, and the Jacques Kallis endorsement. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no external institutional investors, and no M&A activity.

Name

Africa Spice

Legal name

Africa Spice

Website

https://africaspice.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Africa Spice is a Johannesburg-based, family-controlled spice processor and distributor that imports, sterilizes, blends, and packs spices, marinades, sauces, casings, and Victorinox knives for South African restaurants, butcheries, delis, retailers, and home chefs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spice Processing and Seasoning Manufacturing

NAICS

Spice and Extract Manufacturing (311942), Seasoning and Dressing Manufacturing (31194)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Spice Blends & Seasoning Mixes (Dry Rubs, Marinade Mixes) (AFAJANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ground & Powdered Spices (AFAJANAB), Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO), Condiments, Sauces & Dressings (CRADAAAB)

Keywords

• Spice processing
• Meat seasonings
• Steam sterilization
• Custom spice blends
• Butchery supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Spice and Seasoning Sales: Sale of natural spices, raw spice & herbs, and proprietary spice blends under the Africa Spice brand. Products include spice sprinkles, seasonings, and specialty blends for various culinary applications.
2. Marinades, Sauces & Condiments: Sale of marinades, sauces (including BBQ King range, tomato sauce, Worcester sauce), vinegars, and condiments. Also includes coatings for meat and poultry applications, brine manufacturing, and breading/batter solutions.
3. Jacques Kallis Branded Products: Sale of Jacques Kallis co-branded sauce marinades and seasoning products featuring South African cricket icon Jacques Kallis. Available in retail stores and through e-commerce.
4. Custom Spice Development Services: Bespoke spice product development services for restaurants, butcheries, and food processors requiring minimum order quantities of 250kg for customized formulations.
5. Butchery Supplies: Sale of natural casings (hog and sheep), packaging solutions (polystyrene trays, PET products, vacuum bags, film), and Victorinox professional knives and cutting boards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Africa Spice imports, steam-sterilizes (via Imtech European technology), packs, and blends natural spices, herbs, marinades, sauces, and condiments primarily for the red meat and allied industries. The company sells Africa Spice branded seasonings, the Jacques Kallis co-branded sauce/seasoning range, marinades and condiments, natural casings, packaging materials, and Victorinox knives, while also offering bespoke custom-blend development services with a 250kg minimum order.

Product overview

Africa Spice is a South African spice and seasoning company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. The core offering consists of natural spices, custom spice blends, and the company's flagship steam sterilization service using European Imtech technology. The product line includes Africa Spice branded seasonings (steak sprinkles, BBQ blends, Cajun, chicken, fish, and specialty flavours), the Jacques Kallis licensed sauce and seasoning sub-brand, marinades and condiments, natural casings for meat processing, Victorinox professional knives and cutting boards, and bespoke spice development services with a 250kg minimum order. The company also provides packaging solutions for the meat industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jacques Kallis Range: A branded line of sauces, marinades, and seasonings developed in collaboration with South African cricket icon Jacques Kallis. Products include sauce (4x375ml), sprinkle shaker (4x100g), and seasoning (4x200g).

Products and services

• Africa Spice Branded Spices and Seasonings
• Jacques Kallis Sauce Marinade
• Jacques Kallis Seasoning Sprinkle
• Marinades, Sauces, and Condiments

Quantifiable outcome

• Effective microbial load reduction while preserving natural flavour, colour, and aroma of spices

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VictorinoxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAfrica Spice is an appointed distributor of Victorinox knives, offering a comprehensive selection of high-quality cutting tools including boning, flaying, steak, and butcher knives, as well as sharpening steel. Products include Butcher Knife Victorinox 25cm, Victorinox Fluted Butcher Break 25cm, and Tomato & Steak Victorinox Knife 10cm.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cape Herb & Spice: South African spice blender and brand focused on natural herbs, spices, rubs, and seasonings for retail and foodservice. Directly competes with Africa Spice in blended seasoning SKUs and private-label opportunities in the same geography.
• Freddy Hirsch: South African supplier of spice mixes, seasonings, casings, and coatings targeted at butcheries, meat processors and the braai/biltong market. Highly comparable business model and customer base to Africa Spice's butchery vertical.
• Robertsons (Mars): South Africa's most established retail spice and seasoning brand, owned by Mars Inc. Direct competitor to Africa Spice in spice blends, sprinkles, sauces and marinades sold through retail and food-service channels in the same domestic market.

Broad incumbents

• McCormick & Company: Global spice, seasoning and flavor solutions leader with broad food-service and retail exposure. Comparable in product category (spice blends, extracts, custom flavor systems) and as a global benchmark for steam sterilization and food-safety capabilities, though vastly larger.
• Fuchs Gewürze: German-headquartered global spice and seasoning manufacturer with strong industrial B2B and custom formulation capabilities. Comparable to Africa Spice in spice blending and custom seasoning systems serving industrial and food-service customers.
• Kikkoman (sauce/marinade ranges): Global sauce, marinade and seasoning brand with broad food-service distribution. Comparable to Africa Spice's BBQ King, Worcester and tomato sauce offerings for red meat and poultry applications.
• Woolworths Food (own brand seasonings): South African premium retailer with an extensive own-label spice, seasoning and sauce range. Competes with Africa Spice for premium retail shelf space and is a potential private-label manufacturing partner given Africa Spice's FSSC certification.

Others

• Sterigenics (Sotera Health): Global provider of sterilization, pasteurization and food-safety services including steam treatment for spices and herbs. Comparable as a potential competitor or partner in third-party steam sterilization services that Africa Spice could expand into.

Emerging players

• Veripura Spice & Ingredient Solutions: South African spice and ingredient supplier serving food processors and the butchery/delis segment with custom blends. Comparable in B2B focus and custom spice formulation to Africa Spice's professional services.
• Epack Foods: South African contract spice blender and packer offering custom spice blending, seasonings and food ingredient solutions. Comparable to Africa Spice's bespoke blend development service and small-format contract manufacturing capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/africaspice1
• Facebookfacebook.com/AfricaSpiceZA
• Instagraminstagram.com/africa.spice/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-spice

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Africa Spice