Arenel

In 1946, Mr. Robert (Rube) Lepar and Mr. Abe Rubin had a vision which culminated in the manufacturing of sweets in Bulawayo. It was not long before the duo were manufacturing a range of hard-boiled sweets that included the ever popular “Suckers”, “Sugar Sticks” and “Apricot Balls”. Demand for their quality products grew and in order to increase their manufacturing capability a purpose-built facility was erected in the Belmont Industrial Area of Bulawayo. The partnership of Lepar and Rubin dissolved when Mr. Abe Rubin relocated to Harare, where he established a successful bread making enterprise.

In the early 1960`s, Arenel Private Limited entered the Biscuit market with the purchase of Crown Biscuits. Arenel continued its path of growth and product development. In 1973, additional premises were acquired some 200m west of the existing facility. A Biscuit plant was purchased from Europe and installed. Arenel now manufactures quality Biscuits to complement their ever popular growing range of Sweets. Soon the space and development dictated the purchase of yet another premise for warehousing and distribution, along with the transport division and maintenance workshops.

In 2011, a state-of-the-art Biscuit Oven with a width of 1.2m was installed which added immensely to the enhanced quality and output of the Biscuit Division. With the immediate impact and success of the products produced another brand new technology Biscuit Oven with a belt width of 1.5m was installed to complement the existing production capacity. The installed capacity allows Arenel to now produce up to 100 tonnes on a 24 hour production cycle of both soft and hard dough Biscuits. We have also added to our Sweet production capacity and installed a new lollipop plant line which we intend to grow further in the next couple of years as well as updated wrapping and packing sections. Our Sweets Division has a capacity of over 70 tonnes per 24 hour shift.

In 2013, a new much needed 8,000 square meter Warehousing facility was purchased and redesigned to take care of our new increased production output, distribution and logistical needs to ensure our continued customer service excellence. In 2014, we had purchased a factory adjacent to our other manufacturing facilities with a ground area of 2.6 hectares. The projection is to make this ground the new home for a purpose built manufacturing facility for our planned new enlarged Biscuit Factory together with new automated Plant.

In 2015, the Company`s operations continued to grow, with productivity increased following the subsequent installation of new Biscuit machinery. The biggest addition to the Company was the Beverage Division coming online halfway through the year. This saw the production of the traditional Maheu drink being proudly added to the already wide range of Biscuit and Sweets, and a first in terms of beverages.

In 2016, Arenel saw the reality of the production of hard snacks come into existence from the proposed plans in the previous year, named “Cornitos”. The product comes in various flavors.

In 2017, as part of the expansion strategy, the Company commissioned state of the art Water Purifying Plant and the Mayonnaise Plant. The production of bottled water, fruit juice, and mayonnaise is set to increase our product base.