Emerging farmers in the North West province have begun delivering the first harvest of A Grade small white beans for the 2025 season to Tiger Brands, securing supply for Koo Baked Beans with the support of a structured agricultural programme aimed at strengthening local sourcing and national food security.
More than half of the farmers participating in the programme are women, contributing to job creation and economic development in rural communities.
"We are actively developing sustainable local agricultural sourcing to ensure a reliable supply of raw materials, reduce dependence on imports, support farmers in building resilient businesses, and contribute to national food security,” says Dumo Mfini, MD Culinary, Tiger Brands.
Tiger Brands procures approximately 19,000 tonnes of small white beans per year from local farmers based in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Free State and North West.
Overcoming climate challenges
Like many other crops, small white beans are vulnerable to unpredictable climate patterns. Without adequate support, such as financing, infrastructure, and agronomic technical guidance, smallholder farmers face heightened risks of significant crop losses or reduced yields each season.
After suffering lower crop yields in the 2024 season, Tiger Brands was forced to import a percentage of small white beans for the first time. “It was a devastating reality we faced when local farmers were unable to fulfil the necessary volumes in the last season, and for the first time we had to look beyond South African borders to fill the gap in supply,” says Mfini.
“This new season, we have optimised our support of local farmers so that they are better positioned to weather the expected and sometimes unforeseen challenges of agricultural production.”
In mitigating the potential risk of reduced supply, Tiger Brands partnered with local agricultural organisation, SE Holdings, owned by Tiger Brands Agriculture Aggregator and commercial women farmer, Mpumi Maesela, to help support a network of smallholder farmers produce quality small white bean crops.
In addition, Tiger Brands supplied farmers with harvesters and drone technology to the value of R6-million to support a reduction in operating costs and help farmers meet world-class quality standards.
Harvesters will improve the rate at which small white beans are harvested and amplify the yield delivered to Tiger Brands. During harvest time, harvesters are scarce due to high demand, forcing smallholder farmers to harvest by hand, thereby reducing efficiency.
Drone technology improves farmers' ability to implement an efficient spraying programme.
"As climate variability increases, access to precision tools and equipment like harvesters and drone technology will help our farmers to operate efficiently and consistently meet our quality standards," says Maanda Milubi, director of enterprise supplier development, Tiger Brands.
SE Holdings, with Tiger Brands’ support, provided farmers with end-to-end agricultural services, including financial and non-financial support, including agronomic, mechanisation, soil and crop health optimisation and business mentorship. SE Holdings is additionally supported by local funding structures.
Improving yields and boosting rural livelihoods
Thanks to the structured support and favourable La Niña weather conditions, which provided sufficient rainfall throughout the growing season, the 2025 crop is expected to yield high-quality volumes of small white beans.
Marienkie Ntuli and Nolufefe Maqubela are two women farmers, whose employees are in the process of harvesting small white beans on 230 hectares of land in Sokhulumi Village outside Bronkhorstspruit.
"Having access to shared modern machinery and guaranteed market access through Tiger Brands means we can plan our seasons with confidence, employ more people and reinvest in our farms," says Ntuli, who owns 135 hectares of land on which she farms.
Fellow grower Maqubela, with 95 hectares, adds: "The agronomic mentoring and precision farming methods provided by SE Holdings have lifted my yields while reducing fertiliser costs, and the additional income is feeding back into community projects."
Maesela, who is Founder and Director at SE Holdings, says that “By pairing rigorous financial modelling with hands-on technical support, our partnership converts small white bean farming from a subsistence activity into a bankable business for emerging producers.”
Upcoming season 2025/2026
Tiger Brands, as part of its Enterprise Supplier Development programme, has identified prospective farmers of small white beans for the 2025/2026 season. The shortlisted cohort will be offered technical and financial support provided through strategic partnerships with developed funding institutions.
“We are actively identifying and vetting new capable farmers to build a strong pipeline that will receive the technical and financial support needed to grow high-quality small white beans. This will be done through strengthening our partnerships with development funding institutions, applying lessons learned and improving on the success we’ve seen over the past season, says Milubi.
From farm to fork
Once harvested, beans are moved to a cleaning facility and then to the Tiger Brands Culinary facility in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg. Here they are sorted, any stones missed in the initial cleaning process removed, washed and rinsed.
The beans are soaked in hot water for a period and sorted once more before being canned. The prepared sauce (secret recipe) is added, and the can is sealed before the cooking process begins.
The cooked beans are cooled, labelled and then incubated for 10 days before being sampled for quality and specifications. The KOO Baked Beans are then shipped into trade for the enjoyment of consumers.
