Rainbow
- Company typePublic
- Founded1960
- HeadquartersCenturion, South Africa
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Rainbow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rainbow
- Legal name
- RCL FOODS Consumer (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://rainbowchickens.co.za
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1960
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rainbow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Poultry Production and Animal Feed Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (11232), Poultry and Egg Production (1123), Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119), Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers (42444)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Poultry Wholesale (Whole Birds, Parts) (AFAIADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Broiler (Meat Chicken) Feed (AFADACAA)
Keywords
Where Rainbow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Centurion
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices7 records
Markets served
Rainbow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Chicken Product Sales: Rainbow generates revenue through the sale of fresh, frozen and further processed chicken products under its portfolio of heritage brands including Rainbow, Rainbow Simply Chicken, Farmer Brown, Rainbow FlavourBurst, and Rainbow Ready2Go.
- Animal Feed Sales: As South Africa's second-largest feed company, Rainbow generates revenue through the sale of animal feed products under Epol and Driehoek Feeds brands to farmers across a wide range of species.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Rainbow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rainbow is a fully integrated broiler producer that manufactures and sells fresh, frozen, and further processed chicken products under brands including Rainbow, Farmer Brown, Simply Chicken, Rainbow FlavourBurst, and Rainbow Ready2Go. It also produces and sells animal feed under the Epol and Driehoek Feeds brands, making it South Africa's second-largest feed company in addition to being one of the country's largest poultry producers.
Product overview
Rainbow Chicken is a fully integrated broiler producer operating at all stages of chicken production from farm to fork. The company controls and operates 165 farms, 1,288 houses, 8 hatcheries, 3 primary processing plants, 2 further processing plants, and 6 animal feed mills. Rainbow's product portfolio is organized into retail brands (Rainbow Chicken, Farmer Brown, Simply Chicken) serving consumer needs, and food service brands (Rainbow FlavourBurst, Rainbow Ready2Go) for the hospitality sector. The company also maintains animal feed operations through Epol and Driehoek Feeds brands. The Added Value Business division produces crumbed products, polonies, viennas, sausages, and fully cooked products. Recent product innovations include the Farmer Brown Nourish Range (heart-healthy, low-sodium) and Farmer Brown Naked Range (IQF portions in recyclable packaging).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Farmer Brown: Heritage brand offering fresh, cage-free chicken fed a vegetarian diet. Includes crumbed chicken products (Lightly Dusted, Sourdough, Wholegrain), frozen products, and the new Nourish heart-healthy range endorsed by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of South Africa.
- Simply Chicken
- Rainbow FlavourBurst
- Rainbow Ready2Go
- Epol
- Driehoek Feeds
- Rainbow Simply Chicken
- Farmer Brown Nourish
- Farmer Brown Naked Range
Products and services
- Rainbow Chicken Primary retail brand delivering quality chicken products with over 60 years of South African heritage, offering fresh, frozen, and further processed chicken for South African household consumers through supermarkets and leading retailers.
- Farmer Brown Heritage retail brand raising cage-free chickens fed a vegetarian diet since the 1980s, known for fresh chicken taste with crumbed variants including Lightly Dusted, Sourdough, and Wholegrain options for health-conscious and family consumers.
- Simply Chicken
- Rainbow FlavourBurst
- Rainbow Ready2Go
- Epol Animal Feed
- Driehoek Feeds
- Farmer Brown Nourish Range Health-focused product line featuring low-sodium, 100% full-muscle chicken strips and steaklets made with real ingredients in Wholegrain, Lightly Dusted, and Sourdough variants, endorsed by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of South Africa.
- Farmer Brown Naked Range Individually quick-frozen (IQF) chicken portions trimmed for appeal, ethically sourced, and packaged in recyclable resealable pouches for convenience and consistent quality for retail consumers.
- Added Value Chicken Products Further processed chicken products spanning five major categories — freezer-to-fryer crumbed products, polonies, viennas, sausages, and fully cooked products — serving retail, wholesale, and food service markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- Approximately 200,000 meals provided to vulnerable communities through DO MORE Foundation partnership
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Rainbow
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Rainbow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Rainbow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Chefs with CompassionminorRainbow donated R67,000 worth of chicken to the #67000Litres Challenge, a nationwide food rescue effort led by Chefs with Compassion which aims to cook over 100,000 litres of meals for vulnerable communities, feeding up to 400,000 people.
- Boland Rugby UnioncoreRainbow sponsors the Boland Rugby Union, supporting both professional and club-level teams. Partnership includes the Tjokkers Rugby Development Clinic for primary school children and sponsorship of the Sanlam Boland Top 12 Club Rugby Competition, reflecting commitment to nourishing the nation through sport and community engagement.
- Worcester Villagers RFCminorPartnership with Worcester Villagers Rugby Club for grassroots rugby development and community engagement through the Tjokkers Rugby Development Clinic.
- DO MORE FoundationcoreRainbow is a proud key partner of the DO MORE Foundation, working alongside public, private, and NGO partners to improve outcomes for young children and communities through nutrition, early learning, and caregiver support initiatives. Since partnering, approximately 200,000 meals have been provided to vulnerable communities. The partnership also includes the Eat Love Play Talk programme for employee early childhood development support.
- Mpumalanga MunicipalitycoreCollaboration with Mpumalanga Municipality and Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs to host Farmer's Day events and support local farming communities through depot establishments and farmer training programmes.
- Heart & Stroke Foundation of South AfricaminorThe Farmer Brown Nourish range is endorsed by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of South Africa as a heart-smart option with low sodium content.
- Matzonox (Joint Venture)core50% shareholding in Matzonox which operates 2 waste-to-value plants, processing poultry waste into renewable energy and supporting circular economy initiatives.
- Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental AffairscoreGovernment partnership for farmer development, agricultural support, and rural economic development programmes in Mpumalanga and other regions.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Rainbow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BRF: Brazilian integrated poultry and processed foods giant with global exports, including into South Africa. Directly comparable on integrated production and on the import-side competitive pressure Rainbow faces from Brazilian dumped chicken.
- Pilgrim's Pride: Global integrated poultry producer with retail, food service and further-processed chicken offerings. Closely comparable in product mix (fresh, frozen and prepared chicken) and end-market coverage to Rainbow's retail plus FlavourBurst/Ready2Go food service portfolio.
- Tyson Foods: One of the world's largest integrated poultry and prepared foods producers. Comparable business model of fully integrated broiler-to-further-processing operations across retail and food service, though at much larger scale and global geographic footprint.
- Cargill Animal Nutrition: Global animal feed and protein producer. Comparable in feed formulation and species coverage to Rainbow's Epol and Driehoek brands and in vertically integrated protein production comparable to Rainbow's broiler business.
- 2 Sisters Food Group: UK-based integrated poultry processor with strong food service and retail prepared-chicken offering. Comparable to Rainbow's FlavourBurst/Ready2Go food service brands and further-processed chicken lines like viennas, sausages and crumbed products.
Emerging players
- Cobb-Vantress: Global broiler genetics and breeding company supplying parent stock to integrated poultry producers including those in Africa. Comparable to Rainbow's hatchery and breeding operations (8 hatcheries supporting integrated broiler production).
- De Heus: Netherlands-headquartered animal feed manufacturer with strong presence in Africa, including South Africa via acquisitions. Directly comparable to Rainbow's Epol and Driehoek feed businesses in product range and target farmer customer base.
Direct peers
- Quantum Foods: South African poultry and animal feed producer operating across broilers, eggs and feed. Directly comparable integrated poultry-and-feed business competing with Rainbow in retail and emerging-farmer channels.
- Astral Foods: South Africa's largest integrated poultry producer, producing broilers, animal feed and day-old chicks. Astral is Rainbow's primary domestic competitor across retail, food service and feed channels.
- Country Bird Holdings: South African poultry producer with broiler and further-processing operations. Comparable mid-tier integrated poultry competitor in the South African retail and wholesale markets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rainbow social profiles
Digital presenceRainbow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rainbow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Rainbow subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Rainbow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rainbow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rainbow
What does Rainbow do?
Rainbow is a fully integrated broiler producer that manufactures and sells fresh, frozen, and further processed chicken products under brands including Rainbow, Farmer Brown, Simply Chicken, Rainbow FlavourBurst, and Rainbow Ready2Go. It also produces and sells animal feed under the Epol and Driehoek Feeds brands, making it South Africa's second-largest feed company in addition to being one of the country's largest poultry producers.
Is Rainbow a public or private company?
Rainbow is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Rainbow founded?
Rainbow was founded in 1960. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Rainbow based?
Rainbow is headquartered in Centurion, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Rainbow make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Chicken Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are animal Feed Sales.
Who are Rainbow's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BRF, Pilgrim's Pride, Tyson Foods, Cargill Animal Nutrition and 2 Sisters Food Group. Emerging players are Cobb-Vantress and De Heus. Direct peers are Quantum Foods, Astral Foods and Country Bird Holdings.
Does Rainbow have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rainbow.
What industry is Rainbow in?
Rainbow's product category is Poultry Production and Animal Feed Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIADAC, Poultry Wholesale (Whole Birds, Parts), with a secondary code of AFADACAA, Broiler (Meat Chicken) Feed. Its NAICS code is 11232 and its SIC code is 200.