Credit: Nhimbe Fresh
Mhimbe Fresh Exports was founded in 1996. It originally started off as HibernTrading (Private) Limited, was at one time named Mitchell & Mitchell Fresh Exports before becoming Lonhro Fresh Exports and finally Mhimbe Fresh.
At the start of 2016, Mr Edwin Moyo is reported to have acquired 49% shareholding of Lonrho Fresh Exports from Lonrho African Holdings. This acquisition made Moyo the majority shareholder in the horticultural business. He is currently the Chairman of the company. The company was renamed Nhimbe Fresh in 2016.
Nhimbe Fresh is located some 70kms east of Harare near the small town of Marondera. The business utilities three highly productive farms named Rakodzi, Sable Range and Churchill farms.
The farms are well-developed with infrastructure such as modern irrigation equipment, dams and a dedicated high voltage power line drawn from the national grid. The horticultural company is currently developing its own solar power system anticipated to supply all the business needs and sell the balance back to the national grid.
The business operates a state-of-the-art pack house and cooling facility located some 8 kms outside of Marondera town where operations of the company are also headquartered. At this site, Mhimbe Fresh operates a British Retail Consortium (BRC) accredited pack house complete with blast chiller and cold room capacity to hold 150 tons of produce. The pack house sits on 5,000 square meters.
Mhimbe Fresh Export Products
Nhimbe Fresh exports a variety of horticultural produce which include blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peas, peaches and nectarines. The company was recently reported to have entered an agreement with a UAE partner to produce fruits, macadamia nuts and vegetables for the UAE market.
Export Markets
The company’s exports are destined for the UK, EU, UAE and South Africa. Prior to the hotly disputed election of 2008 in Zimbabwe, the then Mitchell & Mitchell Fresh Exports used to supply Tesco supermarkets in the UK. The disputed election resulted in Tesco pulling out of Zimbabwe without notice, leaving the business with no market for its produce. Today Nhimbe Fresh has rebuilt and reestablished its international market including in the UK.
Export Value
According to some 2016 data, Mhimbe Fresh Exports has a top line of US$12 million projected to grow to US$30 million in 2020. Moyo, the current Chairman, was quoted in 2016 saying “In terms of the topline, we are at (US)$12 million and we are projecting to be at (US)$19 million by 2018 and (US)$29 million two years later”. The company’s financial statements are audited by PWC.
Export Capacity
Mhimbe Fresh Exports currently operates a production capacity of 20ha which is being increased to 200ha by about 2025. The company has been quoted as saying power cuts that have been prevalent in recent years have the effect of reducing the business production capacity by some 40%. The company notes that the use of generators increases cost of production.
Mhimbe Fresh News Media Coverage
Nhimbe Fresh Exports has been featured in various media outlets as follows:-