The Dimassaba Group opened a new bakery in Luanda, Angola’s capital city. The factory, which is called Dimapão, uses a Mecatherm industrial bread line.
At the inauguration: (l. to r.) Sylvain Itté, French ambassador to Angola, Hussein Bourji, President of Dimassaba, Olivier Sergent, CEO of Mecatherm, and Bernarda Martins, Angola’s Minister of Industry. They are holding the 95 g wheat baked goods produced in the new factory
Dimassaba
Dimassaba – Le Comptoir d’Export (Export Desk) is a family-
run group under the direction of Hussein Bourji and Karim Bourji. The company was founded in 1993 and employs 400 staff from Angola (for all the group’s activities) and 40 expatriates. Dimassaba produces breads at the Dimapão site, but raw materials importation is the group’s historical activity. Hussein Bourji: “We import our flour from French mills. We also are in discussion with the Angolan authorities to open a mill in the country, whose capacity would be to produce five thousand tons of wheat flour every month.”
Together with Sylvain Itté, Bernarda Martins cuts the ribbon for the official start of the Dimapão factory
Hussein Bourji, President of Dimassaba, says “Our new production site is equipped with the country’s biggest bread production line. Our line is able to produce 180,000 breads per day. In a first step, we start production with 150,000 breads per day.” This is equivalent to more than 6,000 bread rolls an hour.
The wheat baked goods weighing 95 g made at the Dimapão site with its 30 employees and a production area of around 400 m2 represent Angola’s most usual type of bread. The industrial process guarantees that the finished products have a consistent weight and a high level of hygienic safety.
In a first step, Dimassaba starts production with 150,000 breads per day
In the production unit in Luanda. Altogether, the line consists of an MVS proofer, a ‘S’ oven and an MVS cooler
Hussein Bourji: “For equipment, we work only with Mecatherm. The automatic production line consists of a MVS proofer, an ‘S’ oven and an MVS cooler. Mecatherm was the best choice for the equipment, but also for their support to set up the project.” Together with Dimassaba, this was the first time the plant constructor had implemented its turnkey concept of “The Baguette Factory”, which is specifically matched to the African market. (See also the article entitled “The Baguette Factory” on this Page.) Mecatherm not only supplied the production line but also actively assisted Dimassaba in the project design phase, including planning the buildings and financing, and trained employees to control and service the line.
The bread rolls are distributed all around Luanda. As Bourji explains: “Our products are sold in local bakeries, in the markets and by street sellers in the street. Street sale is the most important bread distribution channel in Africa. They are organized by networks, so we work with the sellers’ networks. Obviously we also work with supermarkets and retail outlets.”
Angola
Angola, the República de Angola (Portuguese), or the Repubilika ya Ngola (Kimbundu, Umbundu and Kikongo), with its capital Luanda, is situated in Southwest Africa. The official national language is Portuguese, which is spoken by about 30% of the Angolan population. In addition, the most widespread African languages are Umbundu, Kimbundu and Kikongo. According to the World Bank, around 29.78 million Angolans live on an area of around 1.25 million km2, approx. 7 million of them in Luanda. The gross domestic product is USD 121.1 billion, equivalent to USD 3,570 per capita (2017, World Bank). According to the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Angola ranks 147th out of 189 countries (Website: http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/AGO). Sources: Wikipedia, Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, Human Development Reports
The bread market in Angola – a short interview with Hussein Bourji
bbi: Mr. Bourji, how important is bread in the nutrition of the Angolan people?
Bourji: The people eat bread every day. It’s a staple foodstuff.
bbi: How would you describe the bakery market in Angola?
Bourji: Demand in Angola is strong, in a very competitive market.
bbi: Who are your competitors in Angola?
Bourji: In Angola, many small bakeries and semi-industrial bakeries (small sizes) produce bread. In terms of quality, we do not have any competitors; we are the best. The quality of our products is renowned in the market.
bbi: Is further expansion planned?
Bourji: We plan to develop a second production line at Luanda.
bbi: What ideas do you have for the future?
Bourji: In a second step, we would like to develop our production in the provinces.
Dimassaba invested around USD 5 million to launch the production facility. The price of bread in Angola is regulated by the state. Hussein Bourji: “It’s important to understand the African market context, which is really specific. In a large part of Africa, including Angola, bread is a basic necessity product like rice. That’s why the authorities regulate its price.”
