As Iwisa No.1 marks its 70th anniversary, the South African staple brand has launched a purpose-led campaign that turns selected consumer purchases into support for schools and learners.
Image supplied
The Premier-owned brand has launched its Share More Meals campaign in partnership with Feed the Nation, an NPO of retailer Pick n Pay.
The initiative was recently launched at Moriting Primary School in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, one of five beneficiary schools supported through the campaign.
Until the end of December, a portion of every participating Iwisa No.1 product purchased at selected Pick n Pay stores will contribute towards the initiative, with consumers able to support local schools through their everyday shopping.
The campaign coincides with Iwisa No.1's 70th anniversary and forms part of a broader effort by Premier to connect its brands with the communities they serve.
Putting purpose in the shopping trolley
For Sibongile Mooko, Premier's marketing executive: Milling and Group Insights, the campaign is designed to make participation simple.
“This campaign turns an ordinary purchase into something that reaches learners in their classrooms,” she says.
“With every Iwisa No.1 product bought at participating Pick n Pay stores in Gauteng, consumers will now be able to directly support learners at Moriting Primary School, a Feed the Nation beneficiary. It costs the shopper nothing extra, allowing them simply to purchase with purpose.”
The initiative was piloted in 2024 and 2025 but has shifted its focus to schools for this year's campaign.
Mooko says the model differs from a conventional corporate social investment initiative because the contribution is built through consumer participation over the course of the campaign.
“The donation is built by consumers, not written in a boardroom. It accumulates over the campaign period, it is audited, and it is handed over publicly at the beneficiary school so the community can see exactly what they have contributed to.”
From nutrition to learning
The campaign is rooted in the connection between nutrition and a child's ability to participate fully at school.
“For more than three generations, families have trusted us to fill their homes and the tummies of their children and loved ones,” says Mooko.
“A bowl of porridge is never just a bowl of porridge. It is concentration in a maths lesson. It is a learner who stays in class instead of going home at first break.”
Image supplied
Through Share More Meals, she says, the brand is seeking to turn a familiar household purchase into a contribution that supports children's school days.
Moriting Primary School serves a Tembisa community where educators often face challenges extending beyond the classroom. The school is one of five beneficiaries that will be profiled during the campaign.
A broader regional campaign
While Iwisa No.1's launch took place in Gauteng, the Share More Meals initiative forms part of a broader national campaign involving Premier brands across different regions.
The campaign includes Iwisa No.1, Super Sun and Nyala, with beneficiary schools located across Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
Premier worked with Pick n Pay School Club to identify schools already receiving structured support through Feed the Nation. The five beneficiary schools were also endorsed by the Department of Basic Education.
According to Mooko, the approach is intended to ensure that support reaches communities where it is needed.
Retail as a channel for community impact
For Pick n Pay, the partnership demonstrates how a retailer's footprint can be used to connect brands, consumers and communities.
“Nutrition is where our work at Feed the Nation always starts, so this partnership with Premier was a natural fit for us,” says Anwar Mooideen, Pick n Pay Corporate Social Investment Manager.
“The difference between a good day and a difficult day for a learner can come down to the support available for them at school.”
Mooideen says Pick n Pay's store network and the reach of the Pick n Pay School Club provide an opportunity to direct support towards communities.
“We don't think of ourselves as just retailers. We are the store down the road, and our customers are our family,” he says.
“This campaign is about more than giving. It is about our tills in this community working for these children.”
Celebrating 70 years
For Iwisa No.1, the campaign also marks a significant milestone.
The brand has spent seven decades as a familiar presence in South African kitchens, built around its promise to Fills Just Right. As it celebrates its 70th birthday, Share More Meals connects that heritage to a broader purpose-led initiative.
The campaign runs until the end of December, with the final contribution determined by participating consumer purchases over the campaign period.
For Mooko, that is what gives the initiative its broader meaning.
“What these schools receive in December will not be decided in an office in Johannesburg. It will be decided in your trolley,” she says.
“Every bag of super maize meal, every packet of samp and every bag of instant porridge bought at Pick n Pay adds to it.”
As brands increasingly look for ways to connect commercial activity with social impact, Iwisa No.1's Share More Meals campaign places the consumer at the centre of the model — turning an everyday shopping decision into an opportunity to support learners and schools in the communities where those purchases are made.
“When we nourish a child, we strengthen a family, and when we strengthen families, we grow a nation,” says Mooko. “Let's share more meals.”
