Made through Irvine’s Group holding company Buchan, this investment marks an intent to target the Sub-Saharan region of Africa, which is earmarked for massive population growth.
Currently, Irvine’s produces 1.5 million chicks per week at sites in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana. It exports to 22 countries across Africa.
“Irvine’s aims to be the leading and most trusted chicken company in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Craig Irvine, CEO of the Irvine’s Group. “In Acacia Foods, led by former Tyson Foods. CEO Donnie Smith, we have found a kindred spirit with vast experience and an unrivalled passion for developing and integrating poultry throughout Africa. Donnie’s insight and depth in the poultry industry, along with the resources of Tyson Foods as a world leader in the poultry industry, allows us to accelerate our success across the continent.”
Donnie Smith explained the interest in the region. “Current projections predict that the population on the African continent will double within the next three to four decades to approximately two billion,” he said. “Affordable sources of protein will be increasingly important as the population swells. Poultry is the most efficient land-based converter of feed to protein. Having spent 36 years at Tyson Foods, I am thrilled to be working with the Irvines to fulfill our shared dream of creating affordable food solutions through the poultry value chain across Sub-Saharan Africa.”